School has been in session for the past three weeks. When students were initially attempting to get used to the new CrimsonRide routes and complaining about them, Ralph Clayton, assistant director of Transportation Services, was quoted in the Aug. 22 edition of The Crimson White as having said, “After a week or two, when congestion isn’t so bad, I think it’s certainly going to improve.”

A week or two later, we can still see that there are some major problems with the way transportation is being handled.

There has been one change made already that betters the system. The return of the Blue Express route is extremely helpful in getting students to some of the further reaches of campus in a timely fashion.

But the majority of the routes still host a bevy of problems.

First, they take forever to get where you want to go, usually. If you want to go to the next stop, you should walk anyway. But often times, I’ve found it’s quicker to walk almost all the way across campus to get where I need to go than to sit around waiting for a bus that will take 15-plus minutes to get anywhere.

The long transits also mean, if you want to take the bus to class or some meeting with a time limit, you have to leave far earlier than last year’s routes typically called for. Not very efficient for students that, say, want to get from ten Hoor to Moody in the 10 minutes they have between classes. And since buses can often bunch up together, there can be a huge wait if you miss the pack.

Second, the stops aren’t even going to many of the more populated areas. No Ferguson Center stop, no ten Hoor stop, no Student Recreation Center stop. And in the current heat, or the periodic downpours of rain we are so fortunate to have in Tuscaloosa, it can be somewhat grueling to walk from the Rec Center to anywhere else on campus. But it’s still faster than moving to a nearby bus stop and waiting, more often than not.

Third, overpopulation. Due to the long routes, even with more buses, a slew of people tend to get on at the same time. I’ve seen buses where there wasn’t even standing room left on them. Part of that has to do with the wait and part of it has to do with the fact that the University keeps growing.

And it’s not just the CrimsonRide buses that have this problem. The University seems to be abandoning its apartment areas to a life of crappy transportation service as well.

Every Tuesday and Thursday on the 10:30 a.m. Bluff/Retreat apartment shuttle, there seems to be more people than the bus can handle. I’ve counted more than 40 people two of the times I’ve ridden at that time, and some of them were standing past that white line you’re not supposed to. People were sitting in people’s laps, on the stairs into the bus… Anywhere room could be found.

If Transportation Services wants to really service the entire student body, they need to keep up with campus growth. And since the new additions to The Retreat seem to have almost doubled the size of the place, one tiny shuttle every 30 minutes or so doesn’t seem to cut it anymore, especially during the busiest times. It’s not only inconvenient, but it’s also dangerous.

Perhaps two shuttles, one sent, say, on the hour and half hour marks, and the other sent on the 15 and 45 minute marks of the hour would help solve this problem. It would also limit the massive amount of people jumping on the shuttle at the same time every day, since classes tend to happen on the hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and every hour and a half every Tuesday and Thursday. You can figure out when people are probably going to ride the bus or shuttle based on classes. Shouldn’t be hard.

Also, it’s regrettable that there is absolutely no way the University offers to get back to one’s apartment from 6 to 10 p.m. on weekdays, times when many would like to go back. The growth of population at The Retreat and The Bluff means more people that might not have cars, and the shrinking parking on campus means less people likely to want to try and bother parking on campus. I’ve spent many a half hour in the evenings walking home down Jack Warner, and I know I’m not the only one.

Now, I realize I may be sounding ungrateful. But I’m not. I’ve been on this campus long enough to remember a time before the CrimsonRide. And I tend to walk most everywhere I go anyway. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t notice the problems. That doesn’t mean I don’t hear other students’ complaints. That doesn’t mean things shouldn’t be fixed.

I’m grateful that UA is trying to progress toward helping its students’ lives be more convenient. So, if we’re telling you something’s up, maybe considering some alternatives might be a good idea. After all, if there’s something on campus not helping people as best it can, how well does that reflect the UA we all want this campus to be?

Sean Randall is the assistant lifestyles editor for The Crimson White.