University of Virginia Library

How About Buses?

First-year students, notably those residing
on Observatory Hill or along Alderman Road,
have discovered that one of their courses for
which they receive no credit is Nature and
Urban Hiking 1, 2. The trek from the
first-year and upperclass dormitories to
anyplace near University civilization is rather
long and sometimes arduous. A walk to the
Corner is undertaken only out of absolute
necessity and poor pledges will soon discover
the number of paces from Dobie House to the
dining facilities in the fraternity area.

Add to the distance the inconveniences
brought on by inclement weather and you
find yourself with an unpleasant experience.
Snow in Charlottesville somehow has acquired
the skill of finding its way through all the
layers of clothing a student cares to adorn.
Some students have actually been mistaken
for Omar Sharif, wracked with chills and
wrapped in a shroud of ice and snow, as they
wend their way from the Corner to Balz or
Dunnington. Sadly, there is no Julie Christie
at the end of the line.

The relaxing of the standards for car
privileges has not helped the distance
situation around the University a great deal. A
few years ago, virtually no one could have an
automobile around the Grounds. Now it
seems almost everyone is sporting a vehicle
which takes up valuable parking places. In
short automobiles do nothing to alleviate the
problem of long walking distances between
points on or adjacent to the Grounds.

What is the answer? We hope that it is not
the bicycle, a two wheeled monstrosity which
is growing in numbers with each passing day.
A collision between a speeding bicycle and an
unwary pedestrian is inevitable. A more
viable solution would be the creation of a
busing system on a relatively small scale.

Two buses running continuously, at least
during the most active hours of the day and
night, in a circular route encompassing the
dormitory area, the Corner, the academic
center, and the fraternity area would serve the
students and faculty of the University
immensely.

Duke University has a similar system to tie
its two split campuses together. Several
other institutions on the scale of the
University have buses which run at ten to
fifteen minute intervals between different
points around their particular university
community. We believe that it is time for our
University to consider such a system.