Editor, the Gauntlet,
Re: "U-Pass up for debate," Oct. 9, 2003,
Transit representative David MacDonald infuriates me with his comment implying rural students should drive into the city, park their car at a station and take the train to school. I live in the Bearspaw/Cochrane region: transit is not an option.
Perhaps it is feasible for someone who lives South or East of Calgary to drive to a station but what does MacDonald want me to do? It takes me 20 minutes to drive to the university (in the morning rush-hour traffic). Instead, MacDonald thinks it is more appropriate to drive 10 minutes to Rocky Ridge, attempt to find a residential street where it is legal for me to park for 12 hours, and then sit on a bus for an hour.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Furthermore, if, as MacDonald’s arrogant comment implies, on-campus parking issues are a driving force behind the U-Pass, he should realize all holders of the U-Pass are now paying Calgary Transit customers. Moreover, this means that all University of Calgary students now have the right to park at the Brentwood station. I contribute to making parking easier by parking off campus in a private parking lot (which is also more convenient and exponentially cheaper than any lot on campus).
I don’t need to pay for others to take transit. I sincerely hope that the Students’ Union is not pretending to be a communistic regime and expecting everyone to do their part for the common good.
While I appreciate the convenience of not having to pay for fare when I take transit, I don’t need to apply advanced calculus to realize that I am paying $28 each way. I hope the SU realizes that many students are pleading for the option of opting out of the U-Pass and will act to do something to make "their people" happier and avoid any up-risings or class-action law suits.