While new parking spaces on the western side of Redondo eliminated a bicycle lane, Parking and Transportation Services representatives said the changes are safe and environmentally sound.
Clovis Acosta, interim director of Parking and Transportation Services, said the addition of about 100 parking spaces west of the Farris Engineering Building and the Maxwell Museum are temporary. The change was made offset parking lost during the construction of the Hibben Archaeology Building, which is an addition to the Maxwell Museum.
“Before we made our decision, we looked at the northern end of Redondo Road near Dane Smith Hall and the southern portion near Hodgin Hall where the bicycle lanes end,” Acosta said. “We found that traffic and bicycles interact well together there with no problems, so we decided that it would not be a problem to extend those parking spaces in line with that model.”
Parking and Transportation Services also reduced the speed limit on the western side of Redondo Road to 15 miles per hour.
“What bicyclists need to remember is that, as of January 4, 2000, the Board of Regents rescinded the University’s mandatory dismount policy,” he said. “What that means is that bicyclists can ride into campus freely and don’t have to use the conventional roads on the outskirts of the campus to get around. They can bypass this part of the University and ride freely on campus.”
Acosta said he also is proud of new, more environmentally friendly buses Parking Services is acquiring.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The department is purchasing five 2001 Compressed Natural Gas Blue-Bird buses that carry 49 passengers each. The buses will add to the University’s existing fleet of 14 buses.
Dupuy Bateman, associate vice president for auxiliary services, asked Acosta to see if Parking Services could find federal grants to support buying more energy-efficient buses. Acosta assigned the job to Rick Maes, a staff member at Parking Services, who applied for the grant that covered $200,000 of the $500,000 cost of buying the buses.
“The great part is that these buses are quiet, clean burning and have two doors — one in front and one in back — to make getting on and off easier on our passengers,” Acosta said. “These buses are top of the line.”
At one time, it used to take drivers 30 to 45 minutes to refuel at a compressed natural gas station on Edith Boulevard and Candelaria Road. Now, the University has its own filling station on north campus, which has reduced refueling time to 15 to 20 minutes.
“With the new buses, new fueling station and increased parking spaces, we feel like we are doing our part for the community and continuing to live up to our mission of serving our customers,” Acosta said.
