Student Input Will Influence Construction of New Bus Stop

Members of the Residence Hall Association and officials in the Department of University Housing are lobbying to add a crosswalk and a new bus stop near Hinton James Residence Hall at Manning Drive and the Hinton James driveway.

The Pedestrian Safety Committee met last Wednesday to assess the need for a bus stop, but came to no decision about the matter.

Rebecca Casey, assistant director of marketing for housing, said the committee asked for more information about the anticipated volume and frequency of usage.

Casey said the committee wants to make sure there is a student need for the proposed bus stop.

"Their concern is that there are already so many bus stops," she said. "It's understandable that they want to make sure students will use a new one."

The resident assistants in Ehringhaus and Hinton James residence halls are planning to poll residents door to door asking if they would use a bus stop at the bottom of the driveway, Casey said.

The students' feedback will weigh heavily on the committee's future opinion, Casey said. "The committee's decision will depend on the empirical data collected from the residents."

Casey said the survey is slated to start this week in order to report the results to the committee at its next meeting.

Students living in the area view the proposed bus stop as a positive development.

Freshman Evan Gurney lives in Hinton James and thinks a new bus stop will make it easier to get to class. "It would make things more convenient because it takes so long to get to the other bus stops with all the construction."

Even students who prefer to walk think a bus stop would be a positive addition to South Campus. "Although I like to walk, a new bus stop would be a nice gesture because we are so far away and overlooked," said Jon Thompson, a freshman living in Hinton James.

The construction surrounding Hinton James has also forced many students to jaywalk across Manning Drive, a problem that could be alleviated by the bus stop or by the creation of a crosswalk between Hinton James and Ehringhaus.

Casey said the housing department supports the idea. This request will be handled through a petition submitted to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Casey said the students must take the upcoming survey seriously. "I can't imagine that the committee would ignore the results -- this means students will ultimately impact this decision."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.