U. to revamp Escort routes, add three vans

Penn will hire singlePenn will hire singlesecurity agency toPenn will hire singlesecurity agency tocoordinage non-policePenn will hire singlesecurity agency tocoordinage non-policesafety patrolling and Ali Feen The University will add three new Penn Escort vans to the current transportation service by next Wednesday -- raising its total to 18 vehicles, University President Judith Rodin announced at yesterday's University Council meeting. In addition, Escort will expand its current routes and change its current procedures to include door-to-door drop-offs on the 3800 and 3900 blocks of Walnut and Spruce streets. Currently, students living on those blocks are dropped off at High Rise South. To increase efficiency, all Escort vans will have both eastbound and westbound routes. In the current system, westbound vans pick up all students -- even if they want to travel east. Both Escort and Penn Loop buses will begin operating on fixed schedules next Wednesday. The University is also working with apartment complexes that primarily house students to determine logical locations for safe Penn Loop bus stops in West Philadelphia. Rodin said despite rumors to the contrary, the University is not ending its "C" bus route, which serves Center City. Also during the meeting, Rodin outlined ongoing measures to increase safety and police presence in West Philadelphia. In response to recent safety concerns, the administration will set up an 800-number hotline to answer parents' and students' safety questions next week, Rodin said. Rodin also sent an e-mail message to every student at the University last night, describing the University's responses to the recent crimes and detailing the new initiatives she announced yesterday. The University has begun recruiting 19 new police officers who will be in place within two or three months. Additionally, installation of new off-campus blue-light phones will begin next week. Rodin also confirmed that the University will hire a single security guard service to consolidate the various companies that comprise the current system. According to Rodin, the University "is pursuing businesses aggressively in the surrounding communities that by either action or inaction are encouraging a criminal element." PennWatch President and Wharton senior Jon Brightbill praised the University for its short-term efforts but said it failed to address long-term issues. But Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon said the University is looking toward the long term. For example, the University will establish a committee to look at the future of all transportation services. "But what we're doing with the entire Escort system [now]? might in some ways be counterproductive to the long-term ends," Seamon said. He added while the administration tries to comply with student requests for a wider area of service, the frequency of van pickups in West Philadelphia itself suffers. "If the system gets larger and larger, it almost goes beyond the capability of a university to run such a massive transit system," Seamon said. According to Brightbill, the issues go beyond the problems with Escort. He noted that West Philadelphia suffers acutely from the lack of administrators, faculty and staff who live in the area. Rodin said she hopes to work with the city to improve West Philadelphia schools and economic development, noting that she is optimistic about the future of the neighborhood. "Everything the University is doing is a short-term solution because the only long-term solutions are education and jobs," Rodin said, quoting Rendell. "I am not hopeless about this situation and I do not want you to feel helpless," she added. Various University administrators, including Rodin, will be available to address concerns on campus safety and security from parents and students who call 1-800-992-4455 on Sunday, October 20, between 2 and 4 p.m.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.