Transportation reroutes buses, snow hinders travel

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Students face troubles riding Wolfline, detours canceled’

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Mahmudul Islam

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Correspondent

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The University has a policy to start busing at least one hour before classes begin, according to Christine Klein, public communications specialist.

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According to Klein, Transportation takes a proactive stance in keeping an eye on areas with icy road conditions. The Westgrove bus usually goes through the Pylon Drive and Beryl Road intersection from Blue Ridge, but on Monday, due to road conditions, the bus went straight through Blue Ridge and turned on Hillsborough.

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People taking the Westgrove bus, such as Chris Hock, a senior in mechanical engineering, didn’t seem to mind.’

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Asem Rahman, a junior in biological sciences, was slightly disgruntled.’

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‘I was late for a class because of the buses,’ he said.

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In regards to the detour being a major problem, Rahman said he was aware conditions were bad so it was easier to predict there might be problems.’

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‘They should have canceled school because a lot people were slipping on their way to class,’ he said.

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Some of the changes Transportation has instituted include the Westgrove route and a shuffle of the Bell Tower stops. The Westgrove detour was cancelled on Monday, but the routes were reinstated to their original routes later that day. Bell Tower stops were reinstated. All Werewolf and Route Two Reverse Shuttles scheduled to run after 10 p.m. on Monday were cancelled.

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Routes Three and Eight both had detours in the morning but by the afternoon the detours were canceled and the buses were back running to their normal routes.

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Peter Shin, a senior in aerospace engineering who was taking the Southeast Loop, knew of this but did not seem to mind.’

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‘I knew the day started late, but it wasn’t a big deal. My class started at 1:30,’ he said.

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Shin said he thought the bus drivers must have had a hard time driving under the icy circumstance and the delay was understandable.

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According to Transportation, students can get up-to-date information on detours and cancellation from Klein, from Kim Paylor, transit manager, or through the Wolfline listserv. Listserv messages send information directly to riders via e-mail. Information can also be found through Wolfbytes, which is the in-house campus cable station of residence halls. The Transit Visualization System allows students to see what route the buses are taking and when they are coming.’

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‘Please join the Wolfline listserve to receive info on Wolfline operations, visit the TVS Web site address and check the Wolfline Web site, www.ncsu.edu,’ Klein said.

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According to Klein, Transportation works with University Management in order to advise of road conditions and determine if Wolfline buses can safely operate.’ Transportation’s small external operation staff works closely with the University’s Facilities Division to ensure parking lots and decks are usable and also assists in reporting road conditions along Wolfline routes.’ Additionally, a Wolfline contractor also assesses road conditions.

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‘ ‘Safety is the bottom line in Transportation’s decision whether or not to operate buses,’ Klein said.