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“18712” “2009-04-07 03:25:48” “Dupont GUTS Bus May Be Re-Routed” “news” “570” “2009-04-07” “Lenard Babus ” “The university’s Office of Transportation Management tested a new route for the Dupont GUTS bus last week, which bypasses Q Street in favor of Canal Road/Whitehurst Freeway in its path to Dupont Circle.

The proposed route comes in response to a number of complaints from the university’s neighbors regarding bus traffic on their streets. The Canal Road/Whitehurst Freeway route would avoid many smaller, neighborhood roads which the GUTS bus now takes on its path to Dupont Circle.

The route could also add time to Georgetown students’ commutes. The proposed route takes approximately 12 minutes, according to Google Maps, where as the current route takes only half that time.

University spokesperson Julie Bataille said, however, that the current schedule would still apply to the new route. Whether or not the Dupont GUTS bus route will be permanently changed remains to be seen.

“We will continue to monitor and make adjustments as necessary and are constantly evaluating the system,” Bataille said.

The university initially altered the Dupont route in April 2007, following complaints by Georgetown residents, and eliminated buses traveling along Q Street during afternoon and evening routes. Residents claimed that the buses along Q Street shook the foundations of their townhouses. The current afternoon and evening route follows Wisconsin Avenue up to the naval observatory and down Massachusetts Avenue.

Aaron Golds (COL ’11), secretary of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, the issue of rerouting GUTS buses has not been brought up since he joined the committee in January.

Golds indicated that he had knowledge of the test and stated that concerned local residents can file complaints directly to the ANC.

“I am aware they experimented, but it was just an experiment that was not finalized,” Golds said. “The buses always cause issues in the community . The ANC will bring complaints to the attention of the university, but some people bring complaints directly to the university themselves.”

According to an e-mail from Bataille, the university has been working with local residents to establish and plan that benefits both Georgetown residents and members of the university community.

“We’re always in dialogue with neighbors about a variety of issues, including GUTS shuttle routes,” Bataille said. “We continue to work to find routes which provide the greatest safety on campus and put the least amount of traffic on neighborhood residential streets.”

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