Director of Transportation Services Jack Molenaar will tackle complaints, listen to suggestions and discuss public transportation at the Douglass Governing Council’s meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Trayes Hall in the Douglass Student Center.
The DGC planned the event so council members, Molenaar and students could engage in a dialogue, External Vice President Kate Barbour said.
“This event was organized so that our body can pose questions to Mr. Molenaar that pertain to our constituents,” said Barbour, a Douglass College senior. “His speaking appearance is open to the public and will hopefully be attended by people who wish to share their joys and concerns about the transportation system at Rutgers.”
Molenaar said he is attending the council’s meeting to talk about the Department of Transportation Services and the DGC’s concerns.
“I do this all the time with any student group that invites me,” Molenaar said, recalling previous forums.
The University bus system exists in order to get students to class, Molenaar said. The sprawling network of routes is the largest bus system for a University in the nation and the second-largest transit system in the state.
Barbour said students throughout the University community could come out to discuss their concerns.
“Students should come to this event if they’ve expressed grievances that have never been addressed,” Barbour said. “This would be the proper channel of communication for a suggestion or a complaint.”
In the results of the Rutgers University Student Assembly’s “What’s on Your Mind Month” survey, 30 percent of responding students rated campus transportation as an issue of high importance.
Molenaar said the bus system is a consistent source of frustration for students because they sometimes feel they have no control.
“When anyone uses transit, the patience level drops because the user has lost control — they feel — of their time,” Molenaar said. “People feel the same way at a red light when they are in their car.”
Molenaar said the number of complaints the department receives has dipped in recent years.
“To be honest, the number of complaints has dropped by over 70 percent over the last four years,” he said.
But Molenaar said is not paid by the number of complaints he receives.
“No, and I assume that was not a serious question,” Molenaar said.
The department cannot increase the number of buses on a specific route every time there is a request, he said.
“We do add buses when we can, but I also have to be fiscally prudent with the fees I receive from every single student on their semester bills. Also, 49 percent of the bus budget is from state funds,” Molenaar said. “Based on that, we should only be providing what is reasonable and necessary to make sure students can meet their academic goals.”
Barbour said it is important for students to talk with administrators and other University officials in order to have their voices heard.
“If there are other ways to make changes around campus besides communicating with members of the administration, I haven’t heard of them yet,” Barbour said. “That’s why inviting administrative speakers to our meetings is so critical; we want to voice the concerns our constituents present to us and what we ourselves notice that could be better.”
Molenaar said students who cannot attend the forum could learn about the bus system by visiting http://rudots.rutgers.edu. Students can e-mail concerns or suggestions to info@publicsafety.rutgers.edu.
Postings about bus or parking changes can be found at http://twitter.com/RUDOTS.
Council hosts forum to voice transportation system concerns
Published: Monday, November 9, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 9, 2009
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