ESCHLEMAN: Rutgers must address long commute times between campuses
Column: Shower Thoughts
Every Rutgers student expects a surplus of traffic and packed buses on the way to class during the first week of classes. No matter how slowly you inch your way to the campus you need to be on, you tell yourself, “It will be better next week. People will stop going to class.” Or at least, that is what I have been trying to tell myself. But as we enter the month of October, I am not so optimistic about the commute to class becoming much quicker.
I remember experiencing packed Rutgers buses and standstill traffic as a first-year student, but for some reason, traffic seems to be even worse this year. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Rutgers admitted the largest first-year class of approximately 7,750 students for the Fall 2022 semester, and Rutgers already had such a full campus before this semester.
Since my first year, I have lived on the College Avenue campus, and let me tell you what I see every time I am out and about scrambling to make it to class on time.
There are throngs of students crowding the Yard @ College Avenue, specifically Starbucks which seems to attract the most attention. All of the bus stops are magnets for swarms of students trying to squeeze onto a bus with any open space, and the sidewalks and crosswalks are filled with groups of students who move like schools of fish that are trying to swim in opposite directions.
I am probably biased when it comes to the perception of the overall over-crowdedness of Rutgers since I spend most of my time on bustling College Avenue and very minimal time on a calmer one like Busch campus. But I would argue that most students all over Rutgers would agree that their commute to classes in between campuses has been way too long this semester.
I am a business student, so most of my classes are on Livingston campus, and I remember last year I could comfortably leave my dorm to jump on an LX bus between 20 to 30 minutes before my class started to be safe. But this year, I feel like I must leave between 45 minutes to an hour before my class starts to feel at ease. I will admit, sometimes I have been surprised, and the bus ride will only take approximately 15 minutes.
But many times this semester, I have been horrified by the slow crawl of traffic as I stare at the minutes ticking away on my phone screen. Then, the dreaded realization hits me. I am going to be late for class. The reason why the long commute between classes bothers me so much is because it feels like such a preventable waste of time.
If I did not feel like traffic was such an issue, I would leave less time for my commute, and I would have more time to finish my homework, fit in a quality workout or eat a meal. This dilemma is applicable to all Rutgers students and severely threatens all attempts to be most productive in one’s day. Most importantly, though, I think it is possible to reduce the Rutgers commute with the help of Rutgers administration.
Rutgers administration needs to be convinced that the transportation issue is worth addressing and consequently worth intervening. Not only does the long Rutgers commute hurt student productivity, but it also discourages the use of public transportation which is key to reducing air pollution.
If students felt confident that they could get to class on time with the bus system, fewer students would drive to class in their own cars or use rideshare apps. And with fewer cars on the road, there would be less traffic. This means quicker commute times and less air pollution.
Rutgers should really consider whether they need to increase the number of buses. Still, I do not think that method of problem-solving alone would fix the commuting issue entirely.
There are other places where Rutgers could improve. For example, there has been a lot of road construction lately on campus. The construction tends to take place during the day when people are trying to get to class. Maybe Rutgers could better coordinate with construction officials and determine when the best time to finish construction is, perhaps earlier in the morning or later at night.
Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that Rutgers has a significant commuter population, and a factor that increases commuting time is trying to find a parking spot. I have noticed on larger campuses, like Cook, Douglass and Busch campuses, there are fewer parking options that are actually close to classes, and sometimes the closest parking lots are full. Rutgers should look into having more accessible parking lots on those campuses.
These are very basic ideas that need more thought, but this article is not about completely solving the commuting problem right now. It is about convincing Rutgers to seriously consider how they can shorten the commute for students. It will benefit students, teachers, the environment and Rutgers as a whole.
Sara Eschleman is a Rutgers Business School sophomore majoring in marketing and minoring in English. Her column, "Shower Thoughts," typically runs on alternate Thursdays.
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