New year, new routes
Safety concerns cause campus transit to devise alternate traffic patterns
Transit — Liberty buses started new traffic routes. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
Liberty students were welcomed back to campus with an array of new traffic patterns and bus routes, designed to improve safety and transportation around campus.
Chief among the new changes was the construction of the new roundabout at the corner of University Boulevard and Liberty University Drive. The roundabout enables drivers to make left-hand turns while also easing congestion at the intersection.
According to the Liberty University News Service, Maggie Cossman, a corporate engineer in Liberty’s Department of Planning and Construction, said the intersection had to be closed to left-hand turns last year because of the traffic backup it caused.
With the new roundabout, the ability to make left hand-turns has been restored while maintaining the flow of traffic.
Liberty’s transportation and transit manager, Ted Sweet, has high hopes for the roundabout.
“Once everybody figures it out, I think it will work out perfectly,” Sweet said. “The main thing is people getting used to the roundabout.”
In addition to the LU logo located in the center of the roundabout, people will also notice its small, flat design. Sweet said the design was intended to reduce the impact the roundabout will have on buses and other large vehicles as they will be able to drive over the roundabout’s edge. This feature will enable them to make the tight corner without causing damage to their vehicles, according to Sweet.
Other road changes include the widening and repaving of Hershey Esbenshade Drive, Evans Boulevard and Mountain View Drive in order to make way for the new bus routes. The new routes were laid out to form a clockwise loop around the outer rim of campus. Sweet said these new bus routes were designed to reduce traffic on University Boulevard by diverting a large portion of the traffic to Regents Road.
The new 71 bus route contains the most changes from previous years. The new route restored stops to South Campus along South Campus Drive and Ingram Parking Lot while adding new stops at the new Academic Commons Parking Garage and tennis courts. Sweet hopes that this new route will not only ease traffic congestion but will also promote student safety. In addition, there is no longer a stop at the Liberty Bell on University Boulevard.
“At the Liberty Bell, all the kids were actually walking across the road and it was unsafe because they were walking in front of the buses,” Sweet said. “They don’t have to do that anymore because (every stop) is on the door side of the bus.”
Sweet did express that there are currently some concerns about the intersection of Liberty University Drive and Regents Road. The added traffic on Liberty University Drive as a result of the roundabout paired with increased bus traffic on Regents Road has caused added congestion at the intersection. However, he is optimistic that everything will move smoothly and the changes will prove beneficial for everyone once both students and faculty become more familiar with the new routes.
LAPP is a news reporter.