Bus routes that previously stopped by Beasley Coliseum and Mooberry Track began utilizing the Flag Lane bus stop Monday. These include, but are not limited to, the Apartment Land Express, Airport, Wheat and Lentil bus routes.
The decision to transition from the Beasley Coliseum and Mooberry Track bus stops comes from a previous ASWSU vote made on Jan. 23, said Isaac Velazquez, all-campus senator and engagement chair.
Velazquez, a previous member of the Transit Advisory Group, said TAG received a survey conducted at Stadium Way by the Transportation Group and WSU Facility Services, which found the area had issues with traffic and Flag Lane had space not in use.
“It was kind of a mess when it would get to midday, and you had Apartment Land Express coming through,” he said. “It was brought to our attention that we might be able to get a center for all these buses to come through.”
Prior to making this decision, TAG had the option of either improving Flag Lane or combining the Campus and Apartment Land Express routes before ultimately deciding to improve Flag Lane. This decision in turn allowed the avoidance of overcrowded buses as a result of combined routes, Velazquez said.
TAG was also encouraged by the Graduate and Professional Student Association to make this change to ultimately help Apartment Land Express riders have an easier time getting to campus, as opposed to dealing with lengthy walks and taking the Campus route, he said.
To fund this project, Transit Services utilized a total of $400,000 in funds, Velazquez said.
This change to the bus routes will ideally make commuting safer for WSU students and those who previously used the Beasley Coliseum stop as they will no longer be required to cross the street to arrive on campus, Pullman Transit Manager Wayne Thompson said. This should also make commuting an easier experience overall as all bus routes will begin to utilize the Flag Lane stop.
“In the end, this is a safer location for riders than North Fairway and bringing all routes into a central location will highlight the connectivity that the system offers,” he said.
Now that all bus routes will share the Flag Lane stop, it is hoped that WSU students and Pullman residents will have an easier time getting around, Velazquez said.
“Getting dropped off at Flag Lane might be a little different for people [and] might be an adjustment for the first few days, but I think people will be pretty excited and see the potential in being able to pretty much go anywhere in Pullman just by getting into Flag Lane,” he said.
While the change was previously delayed due to the preparation and curing of asphalt and concrete surfaces, Pullman Transit does not anticipate any major difficulties following the bus route update or changes to the overall schedules of the bus routes. However, should any drivers experience heavy traffic or delays when driving along Stadium Way, it is suggested that they utilize alternative routes, Thompson said.
For any further updates to Pullman Transit, riders may find more information and alerts from the Pullman Transit website and mobile app.
