LETTER: Forget shuttle and walk

Editor,

Your front page article on Feb. 13 about the USU shuttle confirmed the fact that the shuttle’s purpose is to transport students from the parking lot on the west side of the stadium (and from the housing area) to the campus, which is a 10- to 15-minute walk. I can understand operating a bus or two for the use of handicapped students who have a real need for this service, but to operate a fleet of buses at an annual cost of $325,000 to save 8,000 able-bodied students each day a walk up the hill to campus is a waste of money. This program is pure pork on a local level and needs to be cut way back.

In the article, a shuttle driver says: “Frankly, it’s freezing cold. With the shuttle system people don’t have to climb the hills in the cold.” In the interest of their health, one of the best things people can do is climb the hill up to campus, no matter what the temperature is. Also, you’ll be warmer walking than you will standing in line waiting for the bus.

I’m 49 years old. I ride my bike from 200 East up to campus, all year. So, why shouldn’t 20-year-old students be asked to walk up the hill to campus? The irony of it is that many of these folks are overweight Republicans who think of themselves as fiscally responsible and somewhat health-conscious. What a joke.

Dave Axford