photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY MIKE POLCE, STAFF WRITER
Every day when I am on my way to class, I see students walking down Clare Road. I pass by these students in my heated car, wondering how they make the trip every morning.
The temperatures in St. Bonaventure commonly drops below 20 degrees, and it isn’t uncommon to see snowfall or even blizzards during the winter season. Yet, these students still walk to class every morning regardless of the elements.
If you don’t have a car and live in the Townhouses or Garden Apartments, I feel bad for you. There isn’t any sufficient transportation method that can get you to class, which is quite strange, to say the least.
On the weekends, there is a bus that picks up students from the dorms and apartments and takes them to downtown Allegany, which is a brilliant idea. But where is that same bus during the week?
If St. Bonaventure University had a bus that picked students up from the apartments and gardens and dropped them off at Plassmann Hall every ten minutes, a lot of people would be satisfied. It is just one route, but that route could save a lot of students a horrible walk during the winter season.
What if a student slipped and fell during that walk? After all, the roads and sidewalks are icy during winter. Even worse, what if a car spun out and hit students as they walked to class? I know that these situations seem improbable, but they really aren’t too far-fetched, especially in Western New York where the weather is known to be nasty.
The bus would only have to drop students off at the Plassmann Hall parking lot because even if they still had to walk to another building, the voyage wouldn’t be nearly as bad as it is now.
A bus would also benefit car owners. The roads are slippery in the winter. My car spun out on campus last week. Not everybody’s car is built for these elements. If there was a bus that took me to the main campus, I would certainly take it, especially on days when the weather is terrible.
I believe a bus is reasonable enough to ask for, especially for a college campus. Not everyone has a car, and even those who do could benefit from a bus taking them to class.
polcema20@bonaventure.edu
