For many Duke employees and students, the walk to the bus stop just got a little longer.
Two weeks ago, the Durham Area Transit Authority cut off its service to the West Campus bus stop. Now, patrons must catch DATA buses at the traffic circle or behind the Allen Building on Flowers Drive.
"I don't think it's fair because the employees have to get to work on time," said Rosa Mims, a food service worker in the Great Hall. "It's unfair because [DATA] left us to our own devices and... it's a long walk."
Pierre Owusu, who serves as transit planner for Durham, explained that the change was a matter of trade-offs. By cutting the time needed to reach West Campus, the bus will be able to service other patrons who ordinarily would have had to walk long distances.
"This was an instance where service can be streamlined. In the future, if we have more buses, we can make changes to the route," Owusu said.
Now, DATA bus drivers will be able to extend their route to the Washington Duke Inn. Previously, employees had to walk about a half-mile down Morreene Road to catch their bus.
Employees said they received no formal notice or explanation about the change. Many speculated that the primary reason for the change was an accident last spring in which a student was struck and injured by a DATA bus at the West Campus bus stop.
"I heard it all started from the girl who was hit by the bus," said Chick-Fil-A employee Ethel Collins. "But nobody has given us an official reason."
Duke officials denied those rumors.
Collins, who has arthritis in her knee, says that the walk from the traffic circle to West Campus is difficult, especially in the early morning darkness.
Currently, the University has not offered additional services for employees with health conditions. Duke officials have reiterated that they had nothing to do with the change in the DATA route.
"Duke did not make the decision. This is strictly a downtown DATA bus decision," said Stephen Burrell, director of transit. "We have parking lot shuttles that... do serve employees in the morning. We also pick up dining and housekeeping [employees] on a bus that runs at 5:00 a.m."
Despite these options, some employees feel that the situation is still inconvenient. Others offered suggestions for what can be done to make improvements.
"DATA is my mode of transportation to and from work," said Cynthia Grossman, assistant to the director of graduate studies in political science. "Walking to the [West Campus bus stop] is dangerous and, at my age... I want to avoid any broken bones. Personally, I would not mind paying if Duke provided a shuttle from downtown for those of us who work near the Chapel."
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