Mastering the master plan

The Purple Line seems to be causing a bit more turmoil than originally expected. However, the reaction is not overwhelming disapproval for the light rail, which could connect the campus with East Campus and the College Park Metro Station, that's causing the turmoil, but rather university President Dan Mote's lack of consistency between his master plan and Facilities Management's Master Plan.

According to Mote's Oct. 25 column "Support for the right location", he insisted that the future plan to close Campus Drive to make it more pedestrian-friendly did not include plans to make the road a "dedicated transit way." To do so, Mote wrote, "is inconsistent with this vision of the free pedestrian transit."

We have yet to figure out whose vision he is referring to, as the Facilities Master Plan clearly states that campus roads, including Field House Drive, Valley Drive, Preinkert Drive and Campus Drive are to be "closed to general, daily traffic and configured to support the campus shuttle and pedestrian and bicycle use." The master plan clearly seeks to include transit traffic and even increase Shuttle-UM usage to decrease car usage. Yet Mote managed to completely ignore this fact while trying to paint the image of Campus Drive as entirely pedestrian, when in reality, the Purple Line would fit in quite well with the desired master plan, not Mote's desired plan.

The master plan would seek to shut down certain campus roads to general traffic and provide shuttle service from parking garages located on the outskirts of the campus to on-campus locations, minimizing traffic and congestion on the campus. The Purple Line would be a manageable addition to the master plan and the vision for Campus Drive, despite the unreasonable excuses President Mote has been offering against the inclusion of the Purple Line on Campus Drive in the master plan.

The mere fact that Mote overlooked the actual vision of the master plan when addressing the issue in his column makes us wonder if we can believe anything he says when it comes to the Purple Line or if he is simply playing by his own rules and creating his own master plan.

Considering his obvious misinformation on the issue, can we believe the weak excuses he has provided for pushing to move the Purple Line to Stadium Drive are any more substantial? Or is he simply ignoring the facts and creating an argument based on his own personal opinion of the Purple Line? At this point, who knows?

The Purple Line has the ability to connect the campus as well as facilitate a better option for commuting students, faculty, staff and fans. While there might be some bugs to work out with the setup, the excuses he has offered in place of factual arguments are leading us to believe that Mote is simply not a reliable source for correct information regarding this issue. It's time for him to get on board with the master plan and leave his own plan behind.