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by Nathan Baker
This year, Lewis & Clark will be making some welcome improvements to its transportation demand management program. These are the highlights (all to be expected in November):
- The college will begin subsidizing Tri-Met monthly
passes by 50%. They are available in the law school
bookstore and at Campus Safety.
- The Pioneer Express will begin operating from 7 am to Midnight. The Express is free, holds over 30 people, and makes hourly trip cycles to Pioneer Square downtown and Burlingame Transit Center. Stay tuned for exact schedules.
- There will be a Guaranteed Ride Home Program, which means a free taxi ride home for regular users of alternative transportation who find themselves in an emergency situation.
And as we have all undoubtedly heard by now, there will be a parking fee beginning in January 1999. The amount of the fee is still undetermined.
The college should be commended for implementing these socially responsible measures. But we should keep in mind that, for each of these improvements, a dozen more could and should be implemented. What follows is a list of suggested improvements dreamed up by law students. The suggestions vary widely in complexity and feasibility, but each one is significant in its own right. This year, each member of our campus community should adopt her or his favorite transportation alternative, and lobby for improvements pertaining to that alternative. Don’t limit yourself to this list—be creative!
Carpooling
- Free Carpooling: Last April, the
Transportation Advisory Group recommended that carpooling
remain free when parking fees are instituted.
Unfortunately, Lewis & Clark currently plans to
charge carpoolers, thereby removing much of the intended
incentive.
- Easier Carpool Registration: This semester, Campus Safety provided an automobile registration form to all incoming law students in their orientation packets, but provided carpool registration forms only upon request. The two separate forms could easily be consolidated. This would facilitate carpool registration, increase awareness, and save paper.
Shuttles
- Barbur Transit Center Stop: Barbur Transit
Center, only two miles away from the Burlingame Transit
Center, would make an excellent addition to the Commuter
Shuttle route. It is a Park and Ride stop, it connects
with different Tri-Met routes than at the Burlingame
Transit Center, and it is located in an area popular for
student housing.
- Neighborhood Shuttles: The College should determine where the biggest concentration of students live and operate a commuter shuttle to that area for an experimental trial period. Potential locations include Lake Oswego, Sellwood, and the Hawthorne District.
Tri-Met
- Bikes on Tri-Met Permit: Tri-Met allows riders to load their bicycles on bus and MAX bikeracks, but first the riders must purchase a $5 lifetime permit and watch a short instructional video. The permit is available at bike stores across town, and should be made available at L&C as well.
Bicycling
- More Bike Racks: There is room for expansion
of the bike rack strip along the classroom complex. The
College should fill in this space with additional bike
racks.
- Bikes on School Shuttles: Michael Surface is
considering the possibility of adding bike racks to our
school shuttles, so that commuters can meet the shuttles
by bike. Please contact Michael and show your support for
this idea.
- Towels: This one is self-explanatory. L&C should provide towels in the Gantenbein showers. It is not practical for cyclists to have to lug their own towels around with them.
Walking
- Make the crosswalks safe: The road-crossings between the law school and upper campus need to be improved to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety. Plans for improvement of the roads were included in the College’s 1992 Master Plan but remain unrealized.
Lewis and Clark Alternative Transportation Web Page: http://www.lclark.edu/~nbaker/transportation
Student Bar Association, sba@lclark.edu
Nathan Baker, Alternative Transportation Coordinator,
Box 5025, nbaker@lclark.edu
Michael Surface, Transportation and Parking Manager,
Box 107, x7794, surface@lclark.edu
Michael Sestric, Facilities Planner, 301 Manor House,
x7811, sestric@lclark.edu
Bill Curtin, Director of Campus Safety, Campus Box
107, x7860, curtin@lclark.edu
James Huffman, Dean, Northwestern School of Law, Box
51, huffman@lclark.edu
Tri-Met Customer Service, 238-RIDE, comments@tri-met.org