Staff editorial: Public options

Having options is a beautiful thing. It enables people to weigh them, consider potential benefits and consequences and determine which would be the best choice before making a decision.     

When the university administration announced its decision to close off Campus Drive to all traffic except for two campus-connector shuttles, students wanted options. For more than a month, students voiced concerns about the plan and called for the administration to consider how closing Campus Drive could hurt, rather than foster, the university community. At its very core, the reason for students' discontent was simple: They felt cornered.

Since then, administrators have heard students out. And regardless of whether student feedback played into the decision to close the main road in two steps this summer, it was the right call. From June 19 to July 16, the university will continue to allow Shuttle-UM and Metro buses, emergency vehicles, facilities maintenance and construction vehicles and delivery trucks to access the road, while all other non-pedestrian traffic will be barred.

From July 17 until Aug. 13, the university will close the road to Shuttle-UM and Metro buses, and the internal Campus Connector will begin serving as a shuttle to and from the Regents Drive transportation hub administrators said will receive all re-routed traffic. Having the opportunity to test both plans this summer will undoubtedly help both administrators and students see which would be better for the campus.

Although the experiment has not yet begun, it seems the first model, which allows Shuttle-UM and Metro buses to continue running through the center of the campus, would eliminate many of the issues students had with the initial plan. Disabled students would not have to rely on the Campus Connector shuttles to navigate the campus, student routines would not be disrupted, the convenience the buses provide would remain intact, and the administration would still accomplish its goal of eliminating most vehicular through traffic along the main road.

This version of the plan would essentially create a mass-transit corridor along Campus Drive. It acknowledges the fact that Campus Drive is the heart of the campus. And rather than attempting to block it off, the university would be effectively maximizing the convenience the road offers. Moreover, by closing the road to commuter vehicles, the plan would likely encourage more people to use public transportation, which would help move the university along in its goal to cut carbon emissions.

If adopted, the plan would also mesh well with a Campus Drive alignment for the Purple Line — a light-rail system that would connect Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Although the administration remains stubbornly opposed to this alignment, it is clearly the route of choice for students, the Maryland Transit Administration and state officials.

Throughout the discussions about closing Campus Drive, administrators emphasized the importance of sticking to the Facilities Master Plan, which will be updated and submitted to the Board of Regents by fall 2011. And if the ultimate aim is to coincide with the master plan's goals, which call for the university to "create a more pedestrian-friendly central campus and significantly reduce the number of automobiles," then maintaining bus traffic along the road would be a perfect way to ensure pedestrians not only utilize the area but also frequent it. This would result in the type of atmosphere administrators want — a bustling plaza of sorts without the congestion of private-vehicle traffic.

Although at the end of the summer the university will block off Campus Drive to bus traffic to determine whether that would be a viable option, it is far too short a time period to cause any significant inconvenience.

In the end, administrators will weigh the two plans to determine which is best for the university, polling community members and considering student feedback. And although students may feel frustrated with how this experiment has been handled thus far, at least, going forward, they have options.