Transportation on and around campus has been a widely debated issue during the last year. And a lot has been done to facilitate the campus traffic flow.
With the creation of CrimsonRide, getting from one end of campus to the other is less of a headache than ever before - especially since the buses are functioning and running dependably for the most part. When you plan accordingly, CrimsonRide is a reliable and comfortable way to get from class to class.
Next, Tide Taxi gives students access to more than just the immediate area around campus. Its perimeter includes all of the major apartment complexes, so those students stranded without a car or without a ride can get to campus. Shopping, grocery stores, eateries - living without a car in Tuscaloosa has never been easier for UA students.
Now we're adding - tentatively - one more improvement to the list - BamaBike.
Taking into consideration the improvements to CrimsonRide, sometimes students just don't have time to wait, or it's too far to walk. Why not check out a bike from the BamaBike program?
The program begins as a pilot program in the spring, with the goal of full implementation by fall 2008. For a one-time $15 fee, students will have the option to check out a bike for 24 hours.
Alex Flachsbart, a junior majoring in political science who has been researching and working on the program for the last year, said the program would have 30 to 50 bikes for rent from three or four stations around campus.
Students will be able to check out a bike from one location with their ACTion cards - the fee is charged to your student account - and return the bike at another station on campus.
The program has received full funding from the Office of Student Affairs and the SGA.
The editorial board of The Crimson White thinks that the BamaBike program will go one step beyond the limitation of the buses and help students get from door to door. We thank those people responsible for BamaBike and all the services that transport students from place to place.
Flachsbart said stations will most likely be at the Ferguson Center and the Student Recreation Center as well as two residence halls.
Where CrimsonRide fails in timing or direct building-to-building service, BamaBike can pick up the slack. If you don't feel like riding the bus but need to get to class quickly, BamaBike will be there to help.
Try it, at least once. Pay the fee once, and you won't pay again as long as you're a student. You can even carry your books in the front basket.
Our View is the consensus of the CW editorial board.
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