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Transportation plans on the move
By LIZ CARTER © St. Petersburg Times, published November 10, 2000 TAMPA -- Like his predecessors, USF's newest parking and transportation director is very aware of the frustrations students and others experience trying to park on campus. In response, Greg Sylvester is speaking to student government, faculty and other groups about the school's shuttle service and about upgrading the overall transportation plan. He is planning a survey of 16,000 students, faculty and staff members to better understand usage patterns, parking needs and other transportation concerns. The survey will include questions on parking, frequency of travel to the campus, the destinations of students and times they travel to campus, the use of shuttles and route accessibility, and questions related to improvements in lighting, shelters, signs and parking garages. He said the survey will help USF better plan changes in transportation needs as the university expands. "USF is currently at the half-way point as far as its master plan for the next decade is concerned," he said. "Part of this involves looking at all of our transportation needs, including parking, and putting them out front rather than behind the curve." Sylvester, who recently arrived at USF, said there's more to the plan than solving a parking crunch. "Transportation isn't just about parking," he said. "It's about mobility and enhancing services that affect quality of life. My goal is to have all transportation options, whether walking, biking, using shuttles or cars, coexist successfully." He's considering sites for parking garages around the library and in the medical sciences area, and the possibility of connecting Tampa's HARTLINE bus system with the campus shuttle system for students living within 2 miles of USF. "The master plan includes making USF more of a 24-hour campus," he said. "As a national research facility, it requires a high caliber of transportation for everyone who uses its facilities." He insists there are plenty of parking spots, just not all of them convenient to students in a rush to get to class. "Even during peak periods, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., on any given day, we have about 1,000 parking spaces open," he said. Statistics indicate that greater numbers of students are choosing to park in remote areas and use the campus Bull Runner Shuttle to get to and from class. The 15 shuttles are accessible to disabled students, including those who use wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility aids. Shuttle access to off-campus housing in the areas of 42nd Street, Skipper Road and 46th Street allows students the option of leaving their cars at home. It also gives those without cars another alternative to walking or biking. Lunchtime service to and from University Square Mall is also available from the Phyllis Marshall Center. "The shuttles enable students to get anywhere they need to be on campus in about 15 minutes," Sylvester said. "All of the routes have been reworked so that the needs of on-campus as well as commuter students can be met."
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