The Metro Rail is scheduled to open on May 23. | File photo/The Cougar
METRORail has started handing out citations to students jumping the fence blocking the METRORail on Wheeler Street. METRO has been running safety tests before it opens on May 23.
“Obviously, we don’t want to see someone hit by a train because they crossed where they weren’t supposed to,” said METRO Media Specialist Monica Russo.
Citations handed out can reach up to $150. Designated crosswalks on the corners of Calhoun Road and Wheeler, Cullen Blvd. and Wheeler and in front of Cougar Village 2 have been established for students to get around the METRORail easier.
“Signs have been posted at rail platforms directing students to cross at the designated crosswalks,” Russo said. “METRO has also conducted several safety discussions.”
Once the rail is ready, though, students will have a fast, cheap way of getting around town.
“With the rail right next to my dorm, I won’t have to be confined to campus dining, or on-campus employment for that matter. Heck, if it was open now, I could have used it to go interview for my Rodeo internship this summer,” said corporate communication sophomore Kyle Knight. “Having it right next to me is going to save a lot of time and gas money, not only for me, but for other students too.”
Much of the fence hopping could probably be eliminated if a designated crosswalk were to be put in place between the entrance to lot 4A (the dirt lot across the street from Moody Towers) and the road that runs between Moody Towers and the parking garage. There is already a sidewalk there that allows one access to the train platform and it’d be a simple measure of removing part of the fence (and putting in signage or signals if necessary) to make that route legitimate.
You are absolutely right.
“Once the rail is ready, though, students will a fast, cheap way of getting around town.”
I think you’re missing a word.
Just so students know, who don’t currently use METRO, you can already get around town cheap by using the existing bus system right on campus. It’s not necessarily fast (unless you’re on the commuter buses) but it’s cheap. 42 will take you through Midtown and Montrose, 88 will take you to Downtown or Hobby airport area, 68 will take you to the Medical Center/Rice, etc. Don’t have to deal with traffic, parking, etc.
Missing words, poor grammar, and minimal research are standard for The Cougar.
quickboy: just so you know, Metro only allows reduced fare to FULL-TIME students. Half-time and quarter-time students pay full fair. Way to go, Metro. I know; I take Metro. I mean, just because we’re already paying the same tuition at the same school for the same courses costing tens of thousands of the same dollars, I guess Metro figures, “Hey, part-time students won’t mind paying more than their full-time peers, right?” Yes, that seems reasonable.
Because students never hop fences after a few beers and their hand-eye coordination is always excellent then , as is their ability to judge distances while impaired. Really? Would you like to get a solid whiff of a train packed with Saturday night sophomores headed downtown? It ain’t just cheap cologne they reek of.
That’s inevitable whether there is a fence or not. Someone is going to cross the tracks drunk or high, and get hit. At least hoping a fence forces you to look, crossing their silly little cross walks does not.