Despite a little bumper-to-bumper traffic near the construction, which closed down the west turnaround coming in from Bellflower this morning, Cal State Long Beach successfully avoided carmageddon.
The closure of the west turnaround raised concerns of congestion throughout the campus.
The brunt of the effort came from the Division of Administration and Finance implementing measures to direct traffic flow in addition to their preemptive communication via emails and social media platforms.
The main concern today was getting onto campus and finding a parking spot, but getting out of school seemed to be just as hard.
C.W. Driver, the company managing the construction at the West Campus turn around, was also contracted out to provide traffic signage as well as monitor the barriers around the construction. Ralph Clark, senior superintendent at C.W. Driver, noted that the busiest hours for traffic coming through the campus would hit between 7 a.m. – 9 a.m., and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
“It went pretty well this morning,” Clark said. “It was crowded, but we expected it and it went fairly smooth.”
Sabrina Moran, a student in the human factors master’s program, echoed Clark’s sentiment.
“I used the same entrance as last year and it was probably the same amount of traffic.” Moran said.
However, illustration major Claudia Succar reminisced that traffic — particularly parking — was once less of a hassle.
“I do remember it was easier, especially in my freshman year.” Succar said.
Charged with the task of directing traffic, the University Police Department was pleased with the ebb and flow of the day.
“Although our campus was heavily impacted by traffic at times this morning, overall congestion today was consistent or lighter than other fall semesters,” said Captain Christopher Schivley.
Many students and faculty opted for public transport as well.
Meaghan Conner was one of the many to brave the shuttle buses on her first day of classes. To her surprise, the ride wasn’t as difficult as she initially expected, considering her difficulties she had with the shuttles on orientation day.
“You never knew when it was going to get there, but it was better today now that school has started.” Conner said.
This was no happy accident either, explains Robyn Ames-Woodyard, the Director of Operations at the Division of Administration and Finance. In addition to extending shuttle hours, the limited driving directions on West Campus Drive paved the way for a cohesive and robust all-in-one loop.
Waiting time for the shuttles were shorter, with wait times averaging between 5 and 7 minutes as opposed to the normal 15-20.
The most congested point of traffic on campus today was pinpointed to Merriam Way. Captain Schively of the UPD recommends that students attempting to park in lots 14, 16 and 20 turn on Earl Warren Drive from Bellflower Boulevard or Atherton Street.
I think the word you are looking for in the headline is either “averts” or “avoids.”
Whoops. Thanks for the correction!