Students late to class Thursday were probably not alone.
A hydraulic oil spill at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday caused street
closings that left some students gridlocked in traffic and others
stranded at shuttle stops waiting for shuttles that had been
temporarily rerouted elsewhere.
A leaking construction truck carrying hydraulic fluid was the
source of the spill, which resulted in the closure of parts of
Westwood Boulevard and the eastbound side of Charles E. Young Drive
for hours, university police said.
One student who witnessed the leaking truck described the
incident.
“We thought it was water, until we saw cars slipping and
sliding and almost hitting people in the crosswalk,” said
Juana Rivas, a student and campus parking kiosk employee.
Hydraulic fluid does not pose a health problem, but cannot go
down storm drains because it is an environmental hazard, said David
Ott, a Hazardous Materials employee managing the clean-up.
Environmental problems were not the only concerns the spill
presented, transportation officials said.
Roads leading to UCLA were closed, and though the traffic
problems caused when major campus entry points are closed is always
challenging, Thursday’s closure occurred at peak driving
times.
“It was not a crisis, but the timing made it of higher
magnitude … because it occurred at a time that faculty, students
and staff were starting to come to campus,” said UCLA Traffic
Manager Steve Rand.
Transportation officials stressed that the situation could have
been much more disruptive if the department had not had established
emergency plans.
“Everybody that is part of the transportation department
jumped in,” said Penny Menton, associate director of
transportation services. “We have an emergency response plan
that allows designated teams and people to fulfill certain roles
… so that we always have sufficient resources to meet the
challenges (we face).”
Menton said preparation for situations like these, including
disaster plans and cross-training employees, made Thursday’s
situation minimally disruptive.
She also said communication between different campus departments
helped facilitate the cleanup.
Despite the dialogue between departments, transportation
officials neglected to communicate with students who use the campus
shuttles.
Several students waited at the northbound campus shuttle stop on
Westwood Boulevard for over 30 minutes for a shuttle bus that never
arrived because it was redirected.
No signs were posted informing students of the location of
relocated stops.
Students late to class because of the rerouted shuttle expressed
frustration.
Some students waited, while others gave up and walked.