Diamondback: Campus Drive is Best for Purple Line
In a long-planned editorial today, the Diamondback declared the “debate should be over” when it comes to the Purple Line location on campus. In their view, the “people have spoken” in support of the Campus Drive alignment, which “would be the most accessible for commuters, least disruptive for students in dorms and most easily incorporated into the overall layout of the campus.” They argue the Campus Drive alignment would reduce the University’s “heavy reliance” on private automobiles and advance the institution’s stated environmental goals. The editorial critiques the administration’s handling of the debate and has kind things to say about this website.
The editorial also points out University leaders and community members have a stake in the next transportation funding bill Congress will take up later in this congressional session. The re-authorization of the old bill (called “SAFETEA-LU”) will set funding levels and policies for much-needed transit projects like the Purple Line across the nation. While state planners have said they’ll apply for funding before this new law takes effect, it is certainly possible additional delays mean the project would be considered under new rules.
> Diamondback Staff Editorial: “The People’s Line“
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April 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
It’s April 1st. I would have expected this post to say that Mote is now supporting the campus drive alignment.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Actually their is near total agreement that the old Federal transportation bill should NOT be reauthorized, but that a radically different bill needs to be adopted with a much higher level of funding that better sets funding priorities. Some have dubbed the possible bill “Green Tea.”
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
Best line by FAR from the Diamondback article.
“History, as we know, is littered with the catastrophes created when ignorant old men draw lines on maps.”
Oh SNAP no he didn’t!
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:23 am
MTA will be returning to the City of College Park with a focus group scheduled for April 9th at 7-9 pm in CP City Hall (4500 Knox Rd). This is an opportunity for interested members of the community to see MTA’s progress in presenting a side by side comparison between the Campus Drive and Chapel Lawn alignments. It is crucial that Purple Line supporters attend these meetings.
The Diamondback editorial is really quite eloquent - no doubt in part due to the longer term development of the arguments in support of the Purple Line presented in Rethink College Park. It is fitting that the editorial gives credit to Rob and Dave as they transition to the next phase of their lives. Let us hope that Rethink will survive them!
Dr. Mote’s pessimism on the issue seems to mask an outright wish that this would just go away in favor of his anachronistic I-95 Connector Rd. The truth is that the Purple Line - with ridership projections now ranging up to 68,000 boardings a day -is very competitive with other projects elsewhere in the country.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
“with ridership projections now ranging up to 68,000 boardings a day”
Where do you hear this mullarkey. I sure hope that if government sponsored fraud is committed to advance this White Elephant people will be held accountable. Perp walk here we come.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I agree with the Diamondback that the best place for the Purple Line is the Campus Drive Alignment. The four proposed places for the Purple Line run along Chapel Field, the South Campus Dining Hall, Stadium Drive, and Campus Drive. I feel that the Chapel Field Alignment and South Campus Dining Hall Alignments aren’t centrally located and therefore wouldn’t be as helpful as if the Purple Line was located somewhere else. Both of these alignments are too far into South Campus to be completely effective. Students who live on or are trying to get to North Campus would most likely be very opposed to the Chapel Field and South Campus Dining Hall Alignments. That leaves the decision of where to put the Purple Line between the Campus Drive and Stadium Drive Alignments. The Stadium Drive Alignment is a little too far towards North Campus in my opinion and isn’t a place where students often go which is why the Campus Drive Alignment is the best option. The Campus Drive Alignment location is perfect for many reasons. First of all, it’s right next to the Stamp Student Union and bus stations which are both centers of student activity. There’s so much going on around there all the time which is good because it means students will already be in the area and can easily access it. Also, it’s very close to the mall and McKeldin Library which is where a lot of classes and studying take place. This means students won’t have to worry about walking far to get where they need to go after taking the Purple Line to campus. In addition to this, it’s pretty centrally located between North and South Campus housing so it’s fair for students who live on either side of campus. Lastly, it’s far enough from most residence halls that when it comes rumbling in late at night or early in the morning, it won’t disturb students that much. I think all of these reasons prove why the Campus Drive Alignment is the best place for the proposed Purple Line.
The Purple Line also has many benefits for this campus. The Purple Line will cut down the need for many of the cars and buses on campus which will cut down campus traffic, a major issue at times. Fewer cars and buses also means less emissions from those cars and buses which is good for the environment’s sake. It also means more available parking spaces for students, guests, and faculty members which is beneficial because there is always a struggle to find parking options on campus. The Purple Line will also make a lot more places in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. more accessible to students. For example, if a student wants to go to Bethesda or Silver Spring, he/she has to take the Green Line to Fort Totten, switch to the Red Line and take it relatively far in either direction. With the proposed Purple Line, both Bethesda and Silver Spring would be just a few stops away from College Park on the same line. The final advantage of bringing the Purple Line to campus is the business it can bring in. Because of their Metro stations, Bethesda and Silver Spring have really developed into urban activity centers. If the Purple Line went through College Park and more specifically the University of Maryland campus, it may further the development of the area, an area that many know needs to be cleaned up. These reasons are why the Purple Line should be brought to the University of Maryland campus and use the Campus Drive Alignment.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
The Purple line should not run through Campus, especially not through campus drive. Through my analysis over this past semester at College Park, I have come the conclusion that the Purple Line will destroy the campus identity, turning it more into a city than a college campus. Running the Purple Line up Campus Drive will cause the destruction of some of the Campus’s most recognizable landmarks. One of the most important of these is the flowerbed that lies in middle of the circle, which campus drive runs directly through. Now, for a commuter like me, I see that flowerbed and I know that I am on the University Maryland Campus. I pass the gates and feel honored to be a part of the Campus with such great student, teacher, and faculty pride. That one symbol in the entrance of campus defines the University identity.
Also, I would like to bring to attention the dangers that will be imposed as a result of the new Purple Line. The amount of pedestrian traffic that runs through this campus is very high. It is important to remember that University of Maryland houses around 25,000 students. This massive amount of people in such a relatively small area is already dangerous when looking at the potential for someone to be hit by a car. I know when I first drove on the University of Maryland campus I came very close to hitting a student because I was not aware of how many students cross the street without looking. Students come from all directions, not just in the designated crosswalks. Now, observing this fact one can see the high potential for pedestrian injuries from a Light Rail. Unlike a car, light rails don’t have the ability to stop quickly and on demand. The best thing a light rail can do is shut down power, and sound its horn to warn the pedestrian of an incoming train. In my observations of city light rails, I have seen on many frequent occasions, instances where someone got too close to the tracks and almost got hit by the oncoming light Rail. It would be a shame for students to be put at such high risk while going to class or going out at night.
Traffic congestion caused by the Purple Line will also be maxed further than it already is, as light rail track will cause car lanes to be relocated. Any student that walks to class on daily basis sees the congestion that flows up Campus Drive. Where will these cars be relocated? Another route through campus must be run, which means even more construction and destruction to the existing serene environment that makes up the Maryland Campus. Also, Route one will become more congested as light rail crossings will cause more lights to be put it in and thus halt traffic more than times than existing traffic lights.
Another important aspect is the issue of gentrification that may take place as result of the Purple Line running through Campus. Students are going to be pushed out, as they will feel less inclined to sit and relax and use the current environment as they do today. The enacted environment will change from relaxing to a more urban city rush. Students will not feel at home anymore as they go to sleep and wake up to the sound of bells and alarms from the Light Rail track. The area outside Hornbake Library may not be used for leisure study as noise from the Light Rail and the commuter traffic disturbs the environment.
Overall I really don’t think that this project satisfies the land-based interests of the College Park community. The land that makes up the University Campus is defined as a place to learn and bond with friends and classmates. It was not meant to become a self-supporting city with massive a Light Rail running directly through it. Therefore, I feel that is in the better interest of the students at the University of Maryland to take action and use tactics against this project so that the land and identity of this Campus may be protected and preserved to maintain its long history of tradition. The Purple Line can be run around campus or somewhere nearby, and it will accomplish the same ends for the community. The Red and Green lines would still be linked, however the University of Maryland Campus will not be disturbed.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I do as well agree with the Purple Line being placed on Campus Drive. Not only is the location right but also it brings lots of pros to the community. First of all, the Purple Line will bring so much to the college park community, both the University and the city of College Park. Researching and working on a project about the Purple Line made me more familiar with why the Purple should be placed. With the first concern that should be considered when constructing the Purple Line would be the safety issue and the great amount of traffic that is present every single day at the University of Maryland. With the traffic concern, the Purple Line will essentially create less traffic because more people would use the Purple Line instead of their own cars, because it is not much of the traffic they are concerned but as well the limited parking space. More commuter students would not have to worry about getting out of their houses so early to get to class because either they can take the Purple Line and go straight through to the University or because of less traffic they can drive to the University in a reasonable time out of their house. This is usually a great concern for students, which in most cases are the commuters. Now with the safety issue, with less cars, the risks of being hit would decrease. The students would not have to worry about having the cars stopping or not because this usually happens when there is lots of traffic and the cars are in a hurry. The students would know that cars would stop more for them because there is less traffic and they can get to their destination faster, without worry about traffic. Not only are pedestrians affected by this but also the bikers. Because there are no bike lanes, bikers usually ride on the streets because there are lots people on the sidewalks. However, with less cars because of the Purple Line, more bikers would feel less worried about getting hit by a car.
In terms of the location in where the Purple Line will be placed, it will make students reach Mckelden Library faster. Most students when it is time for studying, for finals or midterms, they would go to this library because it is the perfect spot in a quite environment. With having the Purple Line located not that far from the Library, the students could reach the library fast when they are in a hurry to study, as well as leave to go home. Also, this station is located around the center of the University, basically where most students are located.
The Purple Line located in from of Stamp and just having the Purple Line created in the first place will be beneficial to all the students from the University as well as the community of the city of College Park. The residents will be able to take this line to reach the University as well as pass through it to a destination on route 1. Overall, the students and the residents will be able to interact with each other more while on the Purple Line of course.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I do as well agree with the Purple Line being placed on Campus Drive. Not only is the location right but also it brings lots of pros to the community. First of all, the Purple Line will bring so much to the college park community, both the University and the city of College Park. Researching and working on a project about the Purple Line made me more familiar with why the Purple Line should be placed. With the first concern that should be considered when constructing the Purple Line would be the safety issue and the great amount of traffic that is present every single day at the University of Maryland. With the traffic concern, the Purple Line will essentially create less traffic because more people would use the Purple Line instead of their own cars, because it is not much of the traffic they are concerned but as well the limited parking space. More commuter students would not have to worry about getting out of their houses so early to get to class because either they can take the Purple Line and go straight through the University or because of less traffic they can drive to the University in a reasonable time out of their house. This is usually a great concern for students, which in most cases are the commuters. Now with the safety issue, with fewer cars, the risks of being hit would decrease. The students would not have to worry about having the cars stopping or not because this usually happens when there is lots of traffic and the cars are in a hurry. The students would know that cars would stop more for them because there is less traffic and they can get to their destination faster, without worry about traffic. Not only are pedestrians affected by this but also the bikers. Because there are no bike lanes, bikers usually ride on the streets because there are lots of people on the sidewalks. However, with fewer cars because of the Purple Line, more bikers would feel less worried about getting hit by a car.
In terms of the location in where the Purple Line will be placed, it will make students reach Mckelden Library faster. Most students when it is time for studying for finals or midterms, they would go to this library because it is the perfect spot in a quite environment. With having the Purple Line located not far from the library, the students could reach the library fast when they are in a hurry to study, as well as leave to go home. Also, this station is located around the center of the University, basically where most students are located.
The Purple Line located in front of Stamp and just having the Purple Line created in the first place will be beneficial to all students from the University as well as the community of the city of College Park. The residents will be able to take this line to reach the University as well as pass through it to a destination on Route 1. Overall, the students and the residents will be able to interact with each other more while on the Purple Line, of course.