Shuttle
to Veterans Stadium makes final stop until
start of next semester
Jennifer Camacho/ On-line Forty-Niner
By
Jack Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
Starting
today, the shuttle system which transports
students from Cal State Long Beach to Veterans'
Stadium for off-campus parking, will no
longer be in service for the remainder of
the semester due to current minimal use
from students.
The
shuttle, known as the Beach Cruiser operated
daily as a service to bring students to
and from their parking spots, located outside
the stadium.
Parking
and Transportation Services posted signs
around shuttle stops informing students
that the Beach Cruiser would no longer be
offering the Veteran Stadium parking.
This
semester, the shuttle had its most popular
usage since it first began its services
four years ago.
"We
have had the highest utilization of the
Beach Cruiser," said Thomas Bass, parking
and transportation services director. "Normally
the shuttle runs for eight weeks but this
semester we have had it for nine."
One
of the reasons Bass said the Beach Cruiser
has been popular this semester is having
the accessibility to find alternative parking
if areas on campus are full.
This
semester, students have used 350 parking
spots in the stadium, which is a jump from
last year when only a maximum of 250 spots
were occupied.
"During
the first four weeks of the semester we
had four shuttles," Bass said. "We
converted one of the Beach Cruisers into
an on-campus schedule."
"[The
shuttle] tapers as individuals adjust to
their schedules," Bass said. "We
monitor the utilization seeing that the
service accommodates [the students'] needs."
Looking
for on-campus parking during the fall semester
may be time consuming for students, said
assistant director of Parking and Transportation
Services Ignacio Carrillo. One of the problems
with parking was the lack of spaces on Tuesday
and Thursdays he added.
"The
obvious problem was the number of students
that come in the morning and in the afternoon,"
he said. "I was able to observe that
Tuesdays and Thursdays there were increase
of students on campus."
While
it was the ultimate decision to end the
run of the Beach Cruiser by Parking and
Transportation Services, some students such
as sophomore criminal justice major Alex
Heckert said the shuttle should continue
to run during the days with the most parking
problems.
"They're
probably stopping it because people have
stopped taking it," Heckert said. "I
take the shuttle everyday. It would be great
if [the shuttle] was still offered Tuesday
through Thursday."
In
order to prevent any further overcrowding
of campus parking, Carrillo said students
should use other modes of transportation
such as the Orange County and Long Beach
Transit systems.
For
future semesters, Carrillo said Parking
and Transportation Services will continue
to use the Beach Cruisers for off-campus
parking, but is unsure as to how many schedules
will be available.
"We
will rely more on the Beach Cruiser to help
balance the demand and supply of parking,"
Carrillo said. "We wait until enrollment
figures are projected and then obtain for
information [for the schedule]."
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