A proposal that would bring additional mass transit to Cal State Long Beach is drawing heat from residents who fear their neighborhoods could turn into parking lots for students.
Long Beach Transit, which provides bus service for the city of Long Beach and surrounding areas, has proposed changes to several of its routes, including two Passport routes that would see new service to and from the campus. The plan would also eliminate some stops on current routes.
Route 62 would be eliminated entirely, while portions of routes 7, 181 and 182 would also be discontinued.
Passport D, which already travels through campus, would no longer continue on to the Los Altos Market Center. It would instead turn left onto Atherton Street before looping back through the Outer Traffic Circle, Los Coyotes Diagonal and Ximeno Avenue. The proposed route largely mirrors that of CSULB’s own off-campus shuttles, which were discontinued in May.
The idea isn’t without its critics. A community meeting at Whaley Park Community Center on Aug. 27 drew several residents and business owners who were unhappy about the proposed extension of the Passport B route. The route, which currently loops around downtown Long Beach, would be extended east along Fourth Street, Appian Way and Eliot Street before heading north on Bellflower Boulevard to CSULB.
“I see this neighborhood being used as a dumping ground and parking lot for Cal State Long Beach,” said Beverly Terfloth, owner of the Vintage Tea Leaf.
Residents protested the choice of Appian Way and Eliot Street, saying they would become a “satellite” for the university. Terfloth said she knew of at least three students who had parked on city streets before riding a bus to campus.
Marcelle Epley, marketing manager for Long Beach Transit, said the changes were proposed to combat increased demand. Routes that serve CSULB have grown increasingly popular among members of the campus community since the inception of the U-Pass program, which allows CSULB students, faculty and staff to ride the bus for free.
“Our U-Pass customers in particular have experienced overcrowding,” Epley said.
According to Epley, limited state funding keeps Long Beach Transit from putting any new buses on the street, forcing the company to shift resources away from other areas. Terfloth criticized the use of the Passport shuttles as a way to get to the university.
“When did the Passport move from being for tourists to being for students of Cal State Long Beach?” she asked.
Epley said that the Passport, which is free west of Alamitos Avenue, wasn’t just for tourists. The smaller, 30-foot shuttles are also cheaper to operate than their full-sized counterparts.
“We can put one 40-foot coach or two Passports on a route,” Epley said.
If approved, the revised routes will begin in February 2010, but riders will see improvements to other routes headed to campus sooner. As of Aug. 30, Route 171 and Passport D have increased frequency. The 90-series of routes will see increased service during the early morning as well.
All of the proposed changes must be approved by the Long Beach Transit board of directors. A public hearing will be held in the Long Beach City Hall Council Chambers on Sept. 28 at noon. Comments may also be submitted by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 562-489-8485.
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