Caught between neighbors’ complaints and a critical
investigative report, UCLA’s busing program has seen better
days.
BruinGo! ““ the university’s program with the Santa
Monica Municipal Bus Lines and the Culver CityBus that provides low
fare transportation to university students, faculty and staff
““ has come under fire from local residents fighting to reduce
bus traffic near their homes.
These residents have been waging a two-year crusade to curtail
expansion at the Hilgard bus terminal that has occurred since the
advent of BruinGo! in fall 2000.
Residents say the increase in bus traffic has brought the
neighborhood more than expanded access to public
transportation.
“The infliction we get from the bus companies is
endless,” said local resident Paul Verdon, one of the leaders
of the neighborhood protest against BruinGo!’s frequent
presence on Hilgard Avenue. “The noise from the buses has
been measured inside my house at 65 decibels … and that’s
with the windows and doors closed.”
Besides the noise, Verdon laments the environmental damage he
believes is caused by the constant presence of BruinGo! buses.
“There is black soot covering our ivy in the backyard
““ a majority is probably coming from the buses,” he
said.
Frustrated by noise and other harmful effects of the buses,
Verdon teamed with other concerned neighbors to fight recent
increases in bus traffic. Two years ago, a petition was circulated
calling for UCLA and the Big Blue Bus to reduce the high volume of
buses at the Hilgard terminal.
Verdon believes BruinGo! can function efficiently with fewer
buses.
“There are so many empty (buses). … A student can wait
another five minutes to catch the bus,” Verdon said.
While Verdon is one of the most vocal critics of the busing
situation, he is not alone in his frustration with BruinGo!.
“It’s not only the noise that bothers me, it’s
the erratic behavior of the drivers,” said Teddi Gilderman,
another resident who lives near the terminal. “They drive
like nuts.”
UCLA has worked with the neighbors to address their concerns. In
spring, all Big Blue Buses were rerouted so no buses would stop at
the Hilgard terminal between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., which reduced bus
trips to the Hilgard location by 38 trips a day. Culver CityBus
also adjusted its routes and schedules to better accommodate the
neighbors’ requests.
But residents say they are not satisfied.
“Things have improved, but we’re hoping for a little
more relief,” Verdon said.
The neighbors’ struggle was brought to a larger audience
earlier this month when CBS 2 aired an investigative report on
BruinGo!.
In an Oct. 16 news report titled “Big Blue Bust,”
CBS reporter Drew Griffin described BruinGo! as inefficient and
costly. Mixing footage of empty buses with allegations of the
program’s shortcomings, the report depicted BruinGo! as a
failure in its efforts to reduce traffic and promote use of public
transportation.
Paraphrasing an independent study on BruinGo! conducted by a
transportation consultant company, Griffin said, “The entire
program (is) a waste of money, with the school spending more than a
million dollars a year on buses hardly anyone is riding.”
However, not everyone agrees with the report’s assessment
of BruinGo!.
“I wonder when the CBS reporters were out there,”
said Allison Yoh, a third-year Ph.D. student in urban planning.
“If you go out there on any weekend, you will see a lot of
people (on the buses).”
Big Blue Bus driver Gene Amos was also skeptical of
Griffin’s description of consistently empty buses, especially
in light of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority strike.
“We’re getting an overload (of riders),” Amos
said. “A lot of people are thanking us for running ““
it’s their only option right now.”
UCLA Transportation Services Director Renee Fortier defended the
utility of the program, citing a report by UCLA’s traffic
consultant that indicated BruinGo! removes 580 staff and faculty
vehicle trips from campus each day and reduces student trips by 608
per day. Additionally, BruinGo! lowered parking space demand
on campus by about 225 spaces, Fortier said.
Despite their opposition to the BruinGo! expansion, neighbors
say they empathize with students’ situation.
“We’re not against the students or the
students’ transportation,” Verdon said. “But we
do want peace in our home. That’s allowed by the law. So
there is a compromise that must be made.”
But Yoh does not accept the neighbors’ sympathy to their
transportation plight.
“I think it’s a case of N.I.M.B.Y. attitudes toward
public transportation ““ not in my backyard,” she
said.