Turnaround is proving its worth
Eight months after its completion, the bus turnaround at the Taggart Student Center is working well, said USU Fire Marshall Steve Bell.
It has taken time for people to get used to using the turnaround correctly and wait in the green parking spots, Bell said. Most people are following the rules, yet there is the 2 to 3 percent who still aren’t, Bell said. Stopping at any of the red curbs for any reason other than to let a bus pull out, is prohibited, and Bell said he does give out tickets for this.
Bell said while there needs to be two emergency accesses for the Living and Learning Center, after seeing how many people use the walkway between the TSC and the LDS Institute, he requested that the sidewalk be closed for safety. Bell said he worked with the Campus Planning and Design Facilities to complete the $1.5 million project of the turnaround.
“I think we have cut down on 99 percent of traffic going through there,” Bell said.
While public access is blocked to this entrance, Bell said this is one of the emergency accesses for the LLC. It is important that this remain open for emergencies and that cars don’t park and block it, Bell said. He reported one instance where it was blocked when a firetruck tried to access it, thus causing them to use the alternate route on 800 East and costing more time. Had the situation been more critical, this could have been a more major problem, Bell said.
Gates were intended to be installed at the beginning of the year, but when they weren’t ready, it was decided to wait until the beginning of winter semester, Bell said. The bus drivers and all emergency vehicles in surrounding areas who would respond to an emergency have clickers that will open the gates and allow them in, he said.
When these vehicles come through, it is important to clear the sidewalk, Bell said. If other vehicles are using the sidewalk as a shortcut, Bell said he encourages students to take a picture on their cell phones of the car and report it. They can do this anonymously, Bell said, guaranteeing they will follow up.
“We can’t be there 24 hours a day, that’s why I encourage anyone to report (incidents),” Bell said.
Any delivery trucks are required to go to the docks behind the TSC, Bell said. The Bookstore deliveries and UPS and FedEx still enter the Bookstore delivery dock, directly north of the TSC, Bell said. Because the FedEx and UPS trucks are sometimes here at the same time, Bell said he is hoping to get a permanent wall at the end of the covered TSC sidewalk so the trucks can both park and back up without students running behind them. The chain has been replaced with a more permanent gate, Bell said.
“The last thing we want is FedEx to run over someone,” Bell said.
Until everyone figures out exactly how to work the turnaround, Bell said they will keep teaching, and if necessary ticketing. Yet, Bell said he feels it is still 100 percent better than it used to be.
-alison.baugh@aggiemail.usu.edu