With a campus that offers a wide range of activities, from a cappella concerts to fraternity parties, it is possible to live four years at Washington University without stepping outside of Big Bend and Skinker. However, the completion of the MetroLink stops near campus will provide students with a new ability to easily break the Wash. U. bubble and access the greater St. Louis area – an opportunity that should offer students an array of educational, cultural and overall more fun and exciting experiences. Against a trend of inconvenient and unpopular changes on campus such as vast construction on campus and tuition hikes, the University’s initiative to obtain a free Metro pass for any student who requests one is a welcome change that responds to student needs and improves student life.
Though the University’s former shuttle system gave students without cars the necessary transportation to complete vital tasks such as grocery shopping and Target runs, the shuttle routes covered only a small scope of the city and were not without significant scheduling inconveniences. The MetroLink, on the other hand, takes passengers to areas as far away from campus as Lambert Airport and Shiloh, Illinois. Essentially, the MetroLink opens frequent access to most of St. Louis.
This access expands entertainment options significantly. Instead of being limited to Wash. U. bubble destinations such as the Galleria, students can now easily access attractions like the Arch, Busch Stadium or the Landing, and are more likely to take advantage of concerts or other special events. As long as we’re going to school in St. Louis, we should take advantage of all the city can offer, and the MetroLink makes this easier.
Even students who do have the means to drive places and thus have access to the city can benefit from the University’s connection with the MetroLink. Taking the MetroLink will allow students with cars to save money on gas, and spare the environment from having to deal with more pollution coming from cars. Also, it ensures that students have an easy, free alternative to driving when planning on going out to drink. Obviously riding the MetroLink intoxicated is safer than getting behind the wheel intoxicated, and its convenience will serve to discourage drunk driving – a move which benefits students and the community at large.
Though the benefits of the MetroLink certainly make it a worthwhile and attractive form of transportation, students should remember that the fact that the University handed out Metro passes does not guarantee that the MetroLink is entirely safe. As with any form of public transportation, students should exercise caution and common sense. It’s important for students to always be aware of where they are traveling and of whether the specific train they are on will go all the way through to that destination.
If students are aware of what they’re doing on the MetroLink, safety should not be a problem, and students will reap the benefits of a much needed, convenient, citywide transportation system for free. This is a Brookings initiative to be excited about.