Save 171 Service

We the undersigned wish to express our concerns about proposed changes to the 171-University of Chicago/Hyde Park bus route for the 2009-10 school year. At an informational session on May 21, 2009, Brian Shaw, Director of Campus Transportation and Parking Services, said that 171 service may be reduced next year from one bus every 4 minutes to one bus every 12 minutes at peak times, such as morning rush-hour. While we understand that the relocation of Shoreland Hall may require some reduction in 171 capacity, we believe that a frequency of every 12 minutes is not sufficient for the following reasons:

-East Hyde Park and the 55th Street corridor are high density areas, where many undergrads, grad students, staff, and faculty live.

-The planned reduction in capacity is far more severe than the reduction of ridership that will result from the relocation of Shoreland Hall.

-Even at the current 4-minute interval, many buses are remain overcrowded during peak times. Most 171 bus stops apart from Shoreland Hall attract large crowds of riders during morning rush hour.

-The planned reroute of the 171 to stop at 53rd and Lake Park will add hundreds of people to the route%u2019s potential ridership.

-Throughout the cold days of Winter Quarter when the 171 generally ran behind schedule, riders were regularly left stranded at the stops at 55th/Lake Park and 55th/Dorchester as full buses passed by. Reducing capacity will do nothing to solve this problem.

-This plan seems to ignore the needs of undergraduate students living in Broadview Hall.

-With such drastically diminished capacity and frequency, many people in the area with cars may find it more convenient to drive to campus, increasing parking congestion and undermining the environmental goals of the University.

-The 171 currently provides a connection to campus for people who commute to Hyde Park via the #6 Jackson Park Express bus.

We hope that those working in administration to craft and to fund the transportation plan for the 2009-10 school year will take into consideration the valid concerns of the people living in East Hyde Park and along the 55th St. corridor.