LTD plans University route change
By RICHARD WAGONER
Of the Emerald
Three possible bus route
changes outlined at a public
meeting Thursday would give
University students in the
Amazon and Hilyard streets
area direct service to school.
But riders of route 21 LCC
via-Harris Street from southeast
Eugene to the University would
find their direct service to
r
school eliminated under the
proposals.
The meeting was one of 14
public gatherings being held by
the Lane Transit District to de
termine where next year's route
changes should be made. LTD
is planning the changes to off
set expected revenue reduc
tions.
"We’re here to develop a sys
tem that can handle money
fluctuations,” said Dan Herbert,
LTD board member. Declining
ridership, possible cuts in
federal mass transit subsidies
and a poor economy have
forced continued belt-tighten
ing measures by the transit dis
trict', Herbert said.
LTD staff is trying to develop a
new system that will emphasize
productive routes rather than
coverage. Routes with good
Acting Pres. Paul Olum spent an hour in the SUAB grievance and information booth with David
Newell (left) in the EMU Thursday answering questions, giving directions and, in one case,
loaning KEZI anchorman Don Clark $5 for lunch. "I haven't had a big complaint yet, ” Olum said.
"And here I was ready to handle all those complaints."
ridership will be continued, and
routes with limited use will be
altered.
The net result, Herbert said,
will be a more flexible bus sys
tem that will provide service
where demand warrants it.
The changes will include
eliminating several “loop"
routes and replacing them with
"line" routes. The loop routes
that provide widespread bus
coverage are slow and inflexi
ble, said Clara Chambers, a
transit district representative.
But line routes — those where
buses double back on the same
streets rather than looping
through different neighbor
hoods — can be altered easily
depending on rider demand,
she said.
LTD staff outlined these
route-change options for
Southeast Eugene:
• A direct connection to the
University for residents of east
and west Amazon would be
provided by changing route 26
Willamette to 26 Amazon
/Hilyard. Riders of the
Willamette route now have to
transfer at the downtown mall
for a campus connection.
Route 21 LCC-via-Harris
riders would use the Olive/Wil
lamette couplet rather than the
Patterson/Hilyard couplet
between the mall and 18th
Avenue. Harris riders would
have to walk to Hilyard to catch
a direct University bus.
• The 23 Fox Hollow route
would be rerouted through the
University via Hilyard Street
without stopping at the mall
first. The 21 LCC-via-Harris
commuters would use the Pear
l/Oak couplet between 10th and
18th rather than Patterson
/Hilyard.
This change would provide
access to shopping at 18th and
Oak for Harris riders at the ex
pense of direct service to the
University. Harris residents
again would have to walk to
Hilyard for University-bound
buses.
• The 26 Willamette would
become 26 Amazon/Harris with
a stop at the University prior to
arriving at the Mall. The 21 LCC
via Harris would become the 21
LCC via Hilyard, and Harris
Street riders bound for Lane
Community College would have
to walk to Hilyard for direct ser
vice to LCC.
Chambers also said LTD is
searching for new revenue
sources to hold down additional
service reductions.
‘‘We're trying to broaden our
revenue base,’’ she said.
"We've already done a lot of
belt-tightening.”
LTD last month reduced ser
vice by 11 percent and laid off
19 drivers to hold down costs.
OSPIRG answers,
Eaton returns funds
Funds for the Oregon Student
Public Interest Research Group
were released by ASUO Pres.
Dave Eaton Wednesday after
being frozen since Dec. 8.
Eaton froze the funds after
the OSPIRG state board fired
the group’s state director Dec.
6.
And he released the funds -
totaling $27,000 — after receiv
ing information from the state
board requested early in Jan
uary.
“I feel more comfortable with
what they're doing this year.
They’re looking more organ
ized,” Eaton said.
But the release will not affect
his recommendation on
OSPIRG’s budget for next year.
”1 have no reason to doubt
things will run smoothly, but
we’ve been operating on
promises for three years."
Eaton said he plans to wait
until May or June — the end of
the budget year — to see if the
program deserves more than
the $10,000 he has
recommended.
“This time I want to see (re
sults) first,” he said.
Before releasing the funds,
Eaton wanted to see the group’s
plans for the upcoming legisla
tive session and a list of activites
being planned by OSPIRG’s
state board.
The released funds will affect
both the University and state
OSPIRG programs, local
OSPIRG member Steve
Schneider said. And although
operating funds have been
released to the University
group, some projects have been
delayed, he said.
“I can’t say we’re terribly op
timistic about the budget. The
cuts are drastic — we’ve already
proven we’re effective."
But Eaton says he isn't sure
University students still want
OSPIRG, adding no students
have contacted him about
reduced OSPIRG funding.
However, Eaton does support
some funding for OSPIRG.
"If I wanted to get rid of them,
I’d recommend no funding," he
said.
The IFC will consider
OSPIRG's 1981-82 budget
Tuesday.
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IFC pares travel center budget
The Incidental Fee Committee sliced away
almost two-thirds of the Student Travel Center’s
1981-82 budget request Wednesday night, citing
duplication of travel agency services as the main
reason for the cut.
The STC requested $2,336 for the coming
year, but the ASUO recommended zero-funding
for the organization.
The IFC cut $585 from the director and as
sistant director salaries — $783 less than STC's
request. The group’s total allocation for the year
totals $868. A 4-3 vote avoided zero-funding.
In other business, IFC members debated the
question of whether student funds should be used
to pay for recruiting black students to the Univer
r
sity by Black Student Union members.
BSU director Don Brown said black
enrollment at the University is down 50 percent
since fall term. The University is only concerned
about recruiting black athletes, he said, so it is
‘‘up to the BSU to take care of the problem” of
enticing other blacks to the University.
The committee voted 6-1 to allocate $320 for
the BSU's recruiting efforts, bringing the group's
total budget to $11,854.
In other business, the Model United Nations
received $2,098. The English Graduate Student
Film Series received $500, and Architecture and
Allied Arts Committee received $2,920.
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