Students may no longer need to wait in the cold for campus buses that are already filled by the time they arrive according to plans for three different free bus routes circulating through campus.
This is just one aspect of the Campus Master Plan of 2005 Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management Alan Fish reviewed at the Campus/Community Town Hall meeting Wednesday night.
According to Fish, the four main areas of plan include buildings, open space, transportation and utilities. From deciding what buildings to remove to figuring out a better transportation system to get to, from and around campus, the plans keep in mind certain principles. These principles, Fish said, include the spectacular setting UW-Madison has located on three miles of lakeshore, the experience of the place such as the Union Terrace and Bascom Hill and protection of the environment.
Fish explained parts of the 20-year plan to include rebuilding a green lawn on Linden Drive after Van Hise comes down, building campus buildings to face the lake and making the southern area of campus more welcoming with a campus feel.
Transportation is a major area of consideration in the 2005 plan. With intentions of fewer people driving in cars around campus, the planning committee hopes to create more buses with more choices of routes.
\If you jumped on the 80 route now and rode it all around campus, it would be free, but it would take you 50 minutes,"" Fish said. ""So we need to have more buses traveling routes to give people more choices. Many times buses are completely full, students are waiting, and they drive right by. The free bus doesn't help you if you can't get on it.""
There will also be bike routes added to Campus Drive and Observatory Drive.
Resident of Madison, Rich Bogovich, who was present at the meeting, said he is pleased to see how mindful the plan is to transportation.
Fish broke down plans according to areas of campus at the meeting. Plans in central campus include rebuilding Union South with a parking ramp next to it and a hotel on top of it and additions to the Human Ecology Building. On the west side of campus around the hospital area, Lakeshore Dorms will be expanded to hold 700 to 800 more beds and the Lakeshore Path will be opened up to create more space for freshmen in the Lakeshore area. East campus plans include renovations to Memorial Union such as a new auditorium and a new boathouse.
Gary Brown, Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture, said there have been 13 town hall meetings since January. Brown said the final plan will be completed in October.
""The Campus Planning Committee-they actually are the ones working on the plan-they'll present the draft plan to the Chancellor and then the Chancellor makes the presentation to the board of regents,"" he said.
