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Boise State offers new transportation options to commuters
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Students and administrators have teamed up with Valley Ride Transit Services to provide additional transportation options to Boise State’s burdened commuters. A free express shuttle will be offered between the main and Boise West campuses beginning Monday, Aug. 27. Bus service will also be offered gratis from Caldwell, Middleton, Star and Eagle to the Boise State main campus.
“Boise State is committed to alternative transportation and statewide efforts for conservation,” Boise State President Bob Kustra said. “We are taking tangible action to address transportation concerns in this region. These services will not only reduce congestion on our campus but also contribute to alleviating traffic on our roads and highways, especially the I-84 corridor.”
More and more Boise State students are braving rush-hour traffic and construction on I-84. The Federal Highway Administration refers to Boise’s major highway as “one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the Nation.” Up to 76,000 vehicles travel on Ada County’s stretch of I-84 every day. This number is expected to climb at a rate of 2,000 vehicles per year to 156,000 by 2035.
Additional parking will be available at the main campus when the new parking structure opens this fall. Despite the spaces lost by the construction on the stadium and Student Union, there will be more parking available to students than last year, Executive Director of Public Safety, Risk Management and Transportation Jared Everett said.
The university is also offering free parking to students at the west campus location. Students once had the option of parking either in metered spaces or purchasing permits for a dirt parking lot.
“Free parking at the west campus will encourage people to leave their vehicles in Canyon County and use mass transit to come to campus,” Everett said. “If people utilize the free parking and transit services it will reduce the stress on main campus parking resources, and hopefully postpone and reduce future parking permit increases at the
main campus.”
Students purchasing permits at the main campus this fall can expect to pay $92 for general parking and $251 for reserved. According to Everett, this is considerably lower than parking costs in downtown Boise, which range from $600 to $1500 per year.
“The main campus and West campus are different markets, the main campus is placed well below the market value, and well below that of our peers,” Everett said. “Rural campuses and community colleges quite often have lower cost parking if not free.”
Administrators hope that the free parking and shuttle services will provide an incentive for students to attend class at the West campus.
“We encourage our students to take another look at the wide West campus offerings,” Dean of Extended Studies Mark Wheeler said. “While a future community college may be situated in Nampa, the Boise State West campus is open this fall with a variety of academic classes that are convenient and closer for students who live in the west end of the Treasure Valley.”
A federal grant covered roughly 75 percent of the cost of the shuttle service, and Boise State covered the remaining expenses. For the continued success of the program, Boise State will need to enlist the aid of other cities and employers, Everett said.
Shuttle service between the West and main campuses will run more than 20 times daily. Service begins from West campus at 5:35 a.m. and from the main campus at 6:58 a.m. The last shuttles run shortly after 9 p.m. for students finishing evening classes. Only six of the shuttles are on non-stop express routes.
“The transit system is incredibly exciting because it goes to show that the university is making increased efforts in the parking situation at school,” Associated Students of Boise State University Senator Gabe Murphy said. “Shuttle service to and from West campus is a huge step toward bringing the Treasure Valley closer while helping both environmentally and financially.”
Students who wish to comment or express concern regarding this program, or any parking or transportation issue, can address the Parking Advisory Group. This committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff who are not affiliated with the parking office. The group meets once monthly. For more information, students can contact Sen. Murphy at gabemurphy@boisestate.edu.
Staff, faculty and students wanting to take advantage of the new shuttle service can pick up a free sticker at the parking office, or at Campus I.D. in the Student Union Building. Route maps and bus schedules are available at
www.valleyride.org.
CHARLOTTE TAYLOR
Assistant News Editor
