|
Imperial Valley College students line up at a Calexico bus stop to go to classes Monday. Students say there is often excessive overcrowding on the buses, which in turn affects their academics. (CHELCEY ADAMI PHOTO / February 5, 2013) |
CALEXICO — Imperial Valley College students like Kaiely Medina and Albert Quintero say they usually arrive to the IVC Express bus stop at Third Street and Paulin Avenue around 6:20 a.m. to wait for the 6:43 a.m. bus.
But when buses fill up, they say they are left behind, late for class and sometimes then penalized academically.
Student Anthony Moreno gets so frustrated trying to catch the bus that he will beg a stranger for a ride. Despite the dangers of hitchhiking, “class is worth it,” he said.
“Sometimes it just goes by and leaves students. A lot of time people just don’t go to school because they missed the bus since it was too full,” student Miriam Valenzuela said.
The situation can also become somewhat dangerous when students begin to jostle each other to ensure a seat on the bus to class. Three tardies can become an absence and depending on the professor, students might miss quizzes or assignments that they’re not allowed to make up.
While some students like Nayeli Corona said she’s had an overall good experience taking the bus to IVC, most students say there have been some inadequacies.
IVC Associated Student Government President Lisa Nichole Tylenda presented these concerns along with multiple other students during the Imperial County Transit Commission Unmet Needs Public Hearing on Jan. 24.
She has collected 437 signatures from students in a petition for improved bus services for students and met with Imperial County District 1 Supervisor John Renison and Calexico Mayor Pro Tem Bill Hodge to discuss the issue.
“It’s not a good situation when first they have to take the bus and then can’t get on,” Renison said. “We’re going to work together to solve the problem. I believe it will take a reallocation of resources.”
Renison said he believes 33 percent of IVC students are from Calexico.
“They really impressed me with their presentation and more so concerned me,” said Hodge, who is the city’s appointment to the ICTC Committee. “These kids should not be penalized because of a system that’s not quite up to total efficiency.”
Following the presentation made at the Unmet Needs Public Hearing, the issue goes through analysis, research and observation phases, ICTC Senior Transit Planner Kathi Williams said.
“We try to determine what the facts are surrounding their requests,” she said.
ICTC reviews if a request would be efficient, effective, and if resources are available for that before going to the commission and asking for implementation. The Unmet Needs panel will determine whether it’s reasonable to meet the request and create a document called “findings” during a Feb. 28 meeting.
Williams herself just met with IVC administration Monday morning.
“There’s a lot of dialogue and a lot of things taking place behind the scenes. Everyone has the intention of finding out what the issue is and how to solve it,” she said. “The process is unfolding. … Everyone’s thinking optimistically.
“The bottom line is it seems to me that public transit is a positive impact on people’s daily lives,” she said. “They want to use it and want more of it.”
The Third Street and Paulin Avenue bus stop in Calexico is actually the busiest bus stop ICTC has, she said, and Calexico Police Chief Jim Neujahr said he believes by moving it to Third Street and Heber Avenue, it could relieve the congestion created by the influx of not only students but farmworkers, seniors, regular downtown foot traffic and more.
He made that suggestion to Calexico City Council last spring.
That corner is notorious for crime typically resulting in at least one arrest a day.
About a third of IVC students ride the bus, IVC spokesman Bill Gay said.
Students have been proactive about voicing concerns, and ICTC has been responsive in the past, he said, leading him to believe a solution will be reached in due time.
“We’re very proud of the students and the stands they take,” he said. “We’re also very proud of the work with ICTC and the county. It’s a great partnership.”
The IVC Express line now used by students was actually born out of a similar process when the community expressed a need for it years ago.
Some students complained that they don’t know when or where the bus routes run, and while ICTC’s website is undergoing major renovation, Renison suggested putting them on the IVC website. Gay agreed that’s an immediate and simple solution that can be implemented.
“We’ll address any needs we can do on campus,” he said.
“If you don’t know the issue, then you don’t know how to react, but now they know,” Renison said.
Tylenda will also address the issue at tonight’s Calexico City Council meeting, and Renison said he plans to discuss the issue at a future IVC board meeting.
Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com
To comment on this story click here to be directed to Facebook.
