Dupont GUTS Bus May Be Re-Routed
The university’s Office of Transportation Management tested a new route for the Dupont GUTS bus last week, which bypasses Q Street in favor of Canal Road/Whitehurst Freeway in its path to Dupont Circle.
The proposed route comes in response to a number of complaints from the university’s neighbors regarding bus traffic on their streets. The Canal Road/Whitehurst Freeway route would avoid many smaller, neighborhood roads which the GUTS bus now takes on its path to Dupont Circle.
The route could also add time to Georgetown students’ commutes. The proposed route takes approximately 12 minutes, according to Google Maps, where as the current route takes only half that time.
University spokesperson Julie Bataille said, however, that the current schedule would still apply to the new route. Whether or not the Dupont GUTS bus route will be permanently changed remains to be seen.
“We will continue to monitor and make adjustments as necessary and are constantly evaluating the system,” Bataille said.
The university initially altered the Dupont route in April 2007, following complaints by Georgetown residents, and eliminated buses traveling along Q Street during afternoon and evening routes. Residents claimed that the buses along Q Street shook the foundations of their townhouses. The current afternoon and evening route follows Wisconsin Avenue up to the naval observatory and down Massachusetts Avenue.
Aaron Golds (COL ’11), secretary of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, the issue of rerouting GUTS buses has not been brought up since he joined the committee in January.
Golds indicated that he had knowledge of the test and stated that concerned local residents can file complaints directly to the ANC.
“I am aware they experimented, but it was just an experiment that was not finalized,” Golds said. “The buses always cause issues in the community … The ANC will bring complaints to the attention of the university, but some people bring complaints directly to the university themselves.”
According to an e-mail from Bataille, the university has been working with local residents to establish and plan that benefits both Georgetown residents and members of the university community.
“We're always in dialogue with neighbors about a variety of issues, including GUTS shuttle routes,” Bataille said. “We continue to work to find routes which provide the greatest safety on campus and put the least amount of traffic on neighborhood residential streets.”
Apr 07 2009 at 4:55 a.m.
Ya know, if they would have let metrorail build in Georgetown, they wouldn't have to worry about buses. Those people are never happy.
Apr 07 2009 at 1:41 p.m.
This is just neighbors being cranky. Oh, they don't mind the Metrobuses or anything else, but if it's a university bus they're pissed off.
Neighbors, you really need to learn to pick your battles. This is getting absurd.
Apr 07 2009 at 1:43 p.m.
I don't see what the big deal is on Q street--there are Metrobuses all day why not GUTS? The Mass route takes 25 minutes it's ridiculous!
Apr 07 2009 at 2:52 p.m.
please see the Voice's coverage of this for a much more comprehensive look at what's going on. you can reference the blog or the actual article that showed up in last week's news section.
i guess the hoya was too busy making racially insensitive publications to cover this in a timely manner...i know where i'll be getting my news from now on.
Apr 07 2009 at 3:39 p.m.
Notice to Aaron Golds: stand up for your constituency!!!
What kind of a response is this??? "I am aware they experimented, but it was just an experiment that was not finalized... the buses always cause issues in the community" ?!? Inexcusable!
Hundreds of employees and students depend on the Dupont bus service DAILY. Either stand up and vehemently support your constituency, or STEP ASIDE so SOMEONE ELSE WILL.
(1) This policy solely affects non-drivers (students, hospital and university employees, most of which cannot afford to own a car and pay to park in Georgetown. The rich townhouse owners on Q street are trying to limit services to the underpriveledged. It is a social justice issue, plain and simple.
(2) Metrobuses take the same route, yet the residents are powerless (and groundless) to protest that service. They recognioze that only the University and hack politicians like Aaron Golds will cave to their pressure.
Aaron Golds, grow a spine and support your constituency!!!
Apr 07 2009 at 4:03 p.m.
ANC, I know there's a lot of dispute over this, but my understanding of the issue (from someone who read The Great Society Subway, about our Metro system) was that Georgetown couldn't get one because landforms in Georgetown made it too expensive. But then, I think we're also on tap to get one in the next Metro expansion.
Scott, I think it's too early in Aaron's career to call him a hack politician. It's also difficult to know exactly how much pressure he's exerting behind the scenes in ANC executive sessions.
Apr 07 2009 at 4:22 p.m.
Point taken, last responder. Aaron's career is young, but this will certainly be the defining issue of his term. He must act boldely and definitively to ensure bus service is not jeopardized. If he cannot effectively manage the issue, and taken definitive and unequivocal positions in the public media, he needs to be tossed out and replaced with a more formidable representative. This is 2009 - environmental and social justice issues should be paramnout - so it's beyond me how someone can waver so publicly on something like minimally-invasive mass transit buses.
Apr 07 2009 at 10:55 p.m.
If you feel passionately about this issue, as you should, I urge you to write letters to the ANC Board:
Ron Lewis: Ron.Lewis@anc.dc.gov
Aaron Golds: alg53@georgetown.edu
Bill Starrels: Bill.Starrels@anc.dc.gov
Apr 08 2009 at 12:29 a.m.
You can email GUTS and the Office of Transportation Management at otm@georgetown.edu.
Also, where are GUSA and GSO on this issue? It doesn't seem we have any collective voice here.
Apr 08 2009 at 12:52 p.m.
Will, I do not believe we have one in the Silver Line expansion; it was considered, but they are not going forward with it (there are more pressing problems, like the need for a third tunnel in case things go wrong, but even that won't happen). Silver Line simply flows into the Blue/Orange at one point, and that's it. No new stations in DC. Landform probably played a part, but the neighborhood's vehement dislike of the project didn't help.
This better not go through.
Apr 09 2009 at 11:33 p.m.
Aaron, please take a stand on this. you represent the students of Georgetown. Let them know that we hate this!
Georgetown administration, this is you bowing to the interests of the neighbors once again. Grow a pair and start standing up for yourselves. You have 6000 constituents paying $50,000 annually. Start responding.
Bottom Line: The streets of Washington, DC are PUBLIC ROADS! If the neighbors feel so angry and concerned about their multimillion dollar homes, they should go through the appropriate channels to institute a traffic ordinance banning vehicles over a certain weight from the streets in question. Until it is illegal to do so, I don't see why the university should spend extra money on buses, drivers, and mileage, while spewing extra carbon emissions and burning students' and staff's time, in order to appease a vocal minority of conceited and snobby residents.
Apr 13 2009 at 2:33 a.m.
Georgetown residents never blocked a Metro stop. it's urban legend.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=423