When the fall semester begins, the warm weather never seems to stay long enough before students have to travel through the harsh Buffalo winter.
Now, UB is installing new bus shelters in two locations to help with the intense cold students endure while waiting for the UB Stampede. One, near O’Brian Hall, will be heated, and the other in the Flint Loop will not.
Maria Wallace, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said construction for the shelters began this summer and will be done by Aug. 1.
“[The O’Brian] location was selected due to infrastructure needs for power, lighting, etc. and given its bird’s eye view of Flint loop,” Wallace said in an email. “It will also have solar power with a panel added to the rooftop.”
Students wait for long periods of time in the freezing weather and many of them appreciate the idea of heated shelters.
“I think it's definitely something that this campus needs,” said Rebecca Postek, a sophomore exercise science major. “A lot of students utilize the bus for transportation and like to get there early so they don't miss class and even if you're completely bundled up the weather will still affect you.”
Students have wanted heated shelters for years and this particular one has been in the works for more than a year. The most difficult part, Wallace said, was finding an area that wouldn’t impact underground utilities and infrastructure.
Taylor Gallo, a senior political science major, also thinks the shelters are a great idea.
“A lot of people would end up waiting for the bus in the Commons foyer to stay warm,” Gallo said. “Luckily, I didn't have to ride the South Campus bus. They had to wait a long time and the stops are usually no where near a building to stay in.”
Many students have purposely not used the bus system because of the amount of time they had to wait in the cold.
“A few of my friends would just drive instead of waiting for the bus, which is sort of inconvenient,” Postek said.
Christopher Austin, assistant director of Parking and Transportation Services, said he does not see any reason for concern about students walking from the shelters to the bus stop because Putnam Way is not a “high vehicular traffic thoroughfare.”
Austin said pedestrian crossing enhancements will also be put in the area to improve pedestrian flow from the heated shelter to Flint Loop.
“We don’t expect a significant increase in overall pedestrian traffic either, though, as this same subset of students and other passengers currently cross Putnam Way for access to the ‘old’ shelters,” he said.
Postek believes the heated shelters will allow more people to start using the bus.
“More people should make use of it and it's a good thing that UB realizes the issue is making initiative,” Postek said. “It shows the university cares about its students.”
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