Evening van route expands to Hilgard
CSO escort program implements simple new phone number
By Lucia Sanchez
Daily Bruin Staff
Campus evening vans are now running on an expanded route, adding
more stops in response to student requests.
Starting this quarter, the new stops will include Hilgard and
Manning Avenues, Hilgard Avenue and Westholme, and a stop at
MacGowan Hall.
Previously, the evening vans made stops along Hilgard and
MacGowan during the ’91-’92 academic school year when the service
ran on a more complicated three-route program. To simplify its
routes, the CSO program revamped the service to include a single
simplified route.
Then, during the end of the 1994 fall quarter, CSOs passed out
surveys asking van riders and students at the libraries and
residence halls about the quality of service and places they would
like to see the vans stop.
"We’ve surveyed our van ridership and determined that there was
a need to cover Hilgard and Macgowan, and so we made the changes to
provide a safer way home and to and from the libraries," CSO
Programs Manager Mike Brendzall said.
Changes were also made along the western end of the van route.
The counter-clockwise route beginning at Ackerman, will now travel
northward along Gayley Avenue instead of Strathmore Drive. However,
no new stops have been added along Gayley Avenue.
While the vans previously ran along Strathmore Drive after
leaving Ackerman, the program decided that servicing Kelton Avenue,
its most demanded area, first would be more effective.
A stop at Strathmore Drive along Midvale Avenue was eliminated
because of low student demand and the proximity of a stop at
Strathmore Drive and Veteran Avenue.
Low student demand and more frequently used stops nearby also
eliminated drop-off points along Strathmore Drive at Midvale and
Roebling Avenues and the Veteran and Levering Avenue stop. Usually,
changes such as these are made when the CSO program sees a need to
do so, Brendzall said.
Evening van drivers will pass out flyers with the new
information to student riders during the beginning weeks of school
and keep a stack on hand throughout the quarter.
As the CSO program continued considering student needs, they
replaced their old phone number with what they hope is a more
memorable one.
Keeping convenience in mind, the department changed the number
from (310) 825-1493 to (310) 794-WALK, or 4-WALK from a campus
phone.
"The UCLA Police Department hopes that more people can have
access to our services," Brendzal said in a written statement. "Now
people can call ‘4 a walk’ and not have to think 825-1493."
The number of requested escorts has decreased steadily over the
past few years, Brendzal said, pointing out that escorts increase
when a major crime is committed on campus or when a UCLA student is
involved in a campus crime.
"We don’t want people to wait for another attack before they
start doing something about their own safety. Prevention is the
best medicine," Brendzall said. "We’re hoping that the number of
people we escort will increase thanks to 4-WALK."
The new number went into effect with the new quarter, but all
calls made to the previous number will be automatically transferred
to 4-WALK.
In an effort to help students to remember the number, the
program is giving out free key chains and whistles with the new
number on them at the front desk of the University Police
Department.