Causing disappointment and commuting hassles for many off-campus students, parking and transit officials have decided to scrap a plan, at least temporarily, that would have created a bus route to a popular Durham apartment complex.
Students who live at the Belmont Apartments had anticipated being able to ride Duke buses to campus after administrators announced this summer that they would run buses to a planned park-and-ride lot on Hillsborough Road.
The bus route from the lot would have passed by the apartments on the way to West Campus every 15 to 30 minutes.
But the University ended up building parking lots on Duke University Road instead, canceling plans for the park-and-ride lot and therefore the bus route, said Catherine Reeve, director of parking and transportation.
"The purpose of that park-and-ride lot was for the overflow of the Maxwell [Street] parking lot," she said. "We were able to work out something closer to campus."
Duke Student Government officials, however, hold out hope they will eventually get an off-campus commuting bus running.
"This route is supposed to reduce the crunch for parking," said Joshua Jean-Baptiste, Duke Student Government president and a senior. "It will be coming into fruition in the next few weeks. All the pieces didn't fit, but now it's coming together. I would like to say it is coming, but I can't say exactly when."
Cliff Davison, DSG vice president for facilities and athletics and a junior, said student officials had planned to begin the bus route the first week of school but that parking had taken precedent.
"We lost emphasis on it. On our priority list, it was most important to take care of parking," he said. "But now that parking is starting to settle down, this is our number one priority."
Senior Morgan Wurzburger, a Belmont resident, said he was disappointed that the bus route will not happen.
"That's how I was planning on getting to campus," he said. "Now I'm parking on Central [Campus] and walking. You could park in the Blue Zone--that's what I did last yearâ??but most of my classes are at [the Social Sciences Building]."
Elizabeth King, also a senior, said she was excited about the bus route, but without it, she carpools with friends to get to class.
"I feel like I'm a chauffeur," she said. "We all kind of feel that way. Parking on campus is totally atrocious. It's almost worth it to walk from the Belmont."
For students who do not want to walk, Reeve said the Durham Area Transit Authority, Durham's city bus system, is a possible mode of transportation from the Belmont Apartments to campus, since DATA stops in front of the apartments.
But many students said they would not consider using DATA.
Carlos Guevara, a first-year medical student, said he would rather get a ride from his roommate or take his bike than ride DATA.
"I've never even thought about that," he said. "It doesn't seem like it's worth it. I don't know exactly how much it runs or how much it costs."
DATA buses stop by the Belmont Apartments at five and 35 minutes past the hour. One ride costs 75 cents, and unlimited-ride monthly passes can be purchased for $32. There are no discounts offered to Duke students.
King said the lack of a bus contributes to a sense that administrators have no concern for off-campus students. "We're kind of like an afterthought," she said.
Reeve said discussions of adding a commuting bus are part of larger transportation plans for off-campus students, and that officials would continue to look at improving transit for next year.
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