Out of consideration for the neighbors living near the Hilgard
Avenue terminal, changes have been made regarding the Hilgard and
Ackerman bus terminals, and they were put into effect Feb. 20.
The Hilgard Transit Center will now be closed on weekends and
holidays, meaning that Big Blue Bus service for lines 1, 2, 3, 8
and 12 will begin and end at the Ackerman terminal instead of the
Hilgard terminal.
To accommodate this change in venues, Metro routes 21 and 305
will stop in front of the Strathmore Building just south of
Strathmore on weekends and holidays.
In addition, on late nights and early mornings ““ 10 p.m.
to 7 a.m. ““ all Big Blue Bus lines will begin and end at the
Ackerman terminal instead of Charles E. Young Drive.
In October 2004, a public meeting regarding Big Blue Bus was
held in Ackerman Union, at which the decision to begin weekend and
holiday service at the Ackerman terminal was discussed.
“Final notification did not occur until Big Blue Bus could
work out the specifics of changing its routes and schedules and
Transportation Services could complete necessary signage and curb
modifications,” said Renee Fortier, director of UCLA
Transportation Services.
In regard to why the change has been made, Dan Dawson, a
spokesman for Big Blue Bus, said, “There’s basically a
small handful of neighbors who live near the terminal who have been
very unhappy about the terminal ““ mostly complaining about
noise. They have been complaining to the mayor, city council and to
UCLA.”
“Hilgard terminal is one of the busiest terminals in the
Big Blue Bus system. We never had any complaints until recently
when these neighbors decided to move in. They knew the stop was
there when they moved in,” Dawson said. “I certainly
hope that making this concession will please the homeowners enough
to leave the terminal alone.”
“We have been dealing with UCLA and the neighbors for at
least nine months or a year,” Dawson said.
A homeowners’ association representative was not available
for comment.
Though many people believe the student body as a whole will
benefit from these changes, sorority members, graduate students and
others who need to get to the northeastern part of campus may feel
the negative effects of the Hilgard terminal’s closure.
“While this is a benefit for undergraduates, since
Ackerman is more central to most services used by us at night and
on the weekend ““ including Wooden, Powell, Ackerman,
Kerckhoff and more ““ it is a change that did not come from
benefiting students. It came because our neighbors wanted
it,” said Joseph Vardner, the undergraduate Transportation
Services representative. “Staff and faculty are worried for
their jobs if they speak up. We students have the best venues to
protest these constant retreats in the face of our
neighbors.”
“(Although) beginning and ending weekend and holiday
service at Ackerman Terminal may cause some to have to walk a bit
further, for other buildings on campus, such as the Life Science,
Engineering and Student Activities Center buildings, the walk will
actually be shorter,” Fortier said.
Also, once the new Westwood Replacement Hospital opens next
year, Fortier said the Ackerman Terminal will provide much more
convenient service than would the Hilgard Terminal.