SafeRides will alter its services to include a van that runs on a fixed route along Prospect Street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the Office of Student Affairs, University Facilities and Department of Public Safety announced this week.

The new route was adopted as an immediate response to the increased traffic that has resulted from the opening of the Southwest Quadrangle and would add an increased DPS presence off campus, Darryl Harrison, interim director of DPS, said.

Although the SafeRides van will continue along a set route, it will not run on a schedule. Furthermore, there are no specific locations for stops. Instead, the DPS officers who drive SafeRides vans will respond to student calls while continuing on the routes. Drivers have been instructed to pick up students along the way.

According to Todd Olson, interim vice president of student affairs, administrators met over the summer to discuss the impact of the opening of the new residence halls.

Considering the increased traffic, other groups also rallied for improved operations from SafeRides.

“[There were] requests from student leaders – in GUSA and elsewhere – that we look at how SafeRides operates, and our awareness as administrators [was] that that area is an important one for us to focus on,” Olson said.

As a first response that can be put into action immediately, the organizations chose to begin the route on the southern borders of campus.

While many see the fixed SafeRides route as an added convenience for going out on the weekends, the primary concern of the campus organizations involved was safety.

“Recognizing the likely increased pedestrian traffic, especially during evening hours, paramount in our thinking was student safety with consideration also given to neighborhood concerns,” Harrison said.

Despite the integration of a fixed route around the streets near campus, the other SafeRides van will continue to respond to student calls in the Burleith area.

GUSA President Brian Morgenstern (COL ’05) said that because Burleith is less safe than Prospect Street, a door-to-door shuttle remains more practical for Burleith. Morgenstern said that increased complaints from residents on Prospect Street also prompted the use of a fixed route shuttle.Some students said they are likely to embrace the fixed route that will allow them to go out on the weekends with an added sense of safety and ease.

“My first inclination would be [to use it] for convenience, especially when winter rolls around, but safety would also be a concern if I were coming back to campus late at night,” Laura Navar (MSB ’06) said.

Students in specific residence halls also saw benefits in the route.

“Being a student that lives in LXR, this makes SafeRides a more viable option for me; this expanded coverage increases the security I feel here at Georgetown,” Jessica Reis (SFS ’06) said.

According to the SafeRides Web site, the van service was originally put into effect to provide “safe passage to students who reside off campus” during the night hours.

The boundaries of the program are Whitehaven Parkway and W Street to the north, Prospect Street to the south, Foxhall and Reservoir Roads to the west and Wisconsin Avenue to the east.

SafeRides operates between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Sunday through Wednesday and between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The administrators admit that the new route is not an ultimate solution to the increased traffic, but they say that in the meantime it will increase security, convenience and improve traffic.

The SafeRides vans will soon begin transporting students in the area directly adjacent to the front gates, going so far as 33rd Street, and utilizing N, P, O and Prospect Streets.

“We realized that this is not a perfect solution and has limitations,” Harrison said. “However, it provides an opportunity to evaluate and continue to explore more optimal options.”