A recent proposal by Madison Metro, announced last week, intends to modify a number of late-night campus bus services. The changes, set to take effect starting next semester, will impact at least three Saferide routes, namely the 80, 81 and 82, which are used mostly by UW students.

The proposal will result in fewer services to a number of heavily student-populated areas. Among them are the Lakeshore area, which will be served only by route 80. Langdon Street, on which many student apartments are located, will have late night services removed altogether.

What gave rise to the proposal was Metro’s limited budget, which has forced some routes to be reconsidered. It is important to note that the decision is not related to the budget-repair bill or the Wisconsin state budget. Although the committee has attempted to maintain services for UW students, staying within the available budget has forced some sacrifices to be made. Still, there is reason to believe that the choice to make service cuts was not the ideal decision.

According to the current proposal, route 80, which will be the only route serving the Lakeshore area at night, will run only every 40 minutes. This will cause fewer students to use the bus, as the longer waiting time for the bus might cause some to walk instead, especially during winter when the weather is less bearable. What follows will be a decrease in ridership, and a less efficient service for students.

This clearly defeats the purpose of the Saferide service – to provide a safe way for students to commute at night, especially in less well-lit areas on campus which are more prone to crime. The Lakeshore area at night is one of those areas, and to reduce service there will compromise students’ safety. In addition, the service reduction will affect more than just current students, as more new residence halls are being built in the Lakeshore area.

Of course, considering the limited budget, there are not many options available. But as this is an issue that goes beyond an inconvenience for students and into a safety issue, the reduction is not a good decision on the part of the planners.

Possible alternatives, then, include lowering the frequency of services during the day to continue the frequency at night. While it will be inconvenient for students who use the bus during the day, a longer waiting time in the afternoon might be a better compromise than one at night. This is evident when it is considered that waiting at bus stops late at night is not a safe option.

It is also important to realize that students who need the services late at night do not have many options, as both walking and waiting for extended periods for the bus are unsafe.

Another alternative would be to improve lighting and increase police presence in the Lakeshore area. However, these alternatives would be beyond the authority of the transportation planners, in addition to the possibility of them costing more.

The bottom line is that student safety shouldn’t be compromised, and the fact that the proposal has done exactly what should not be done is unacceptable. Fortunately, the proposal is not yet final and is still subject to review. Hopefully the board will reconsider their options, and come up with the solution that, while minimizing student inconvenience, does not compromise their safety.

Albert Budhipramono ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in biology.