Support for the Purple Line

On February 26th, 2008, the RHA passed a resolution supporting the Campus Drive Alignment for the Purple Line. The following letter was written when we joined the committee in support of the construction of the Purple Line. The blog for the Terps for the Purple line is www.terpsgopurple.blogspot.com

University of Maryland Community,

With all of the resources at and within close reach of the University of Maryland, it doesn’t seem like students should ever need to leave College Park. Of course, we recognize that this is not realistic. Our students need to travel home, visit museums and sites in our nation’s capital for class and pleasure, and occasionally just get a change of scenery. Based on this, it is clear that there needs to be effective methods of transportation out of – and back to – our beloved College Park.

With only a few major roads out of College Park, constant traffic, and rising gas prices, we are lucky to have a metro station located just minutes away at Paint Branch Parkway, served by ShuttleUM. Unfortunately, the green line is not the most convenient, efficient or far-reaching means of getting around the DC area. To get to other cities along the outskirts of the metro lines, you must ride all the way into the city, switch lines and travel back out. This is extremely time consuming and inconvenient, especially during heavy travel times.

The plans for the East Campus Development also create a need for additional access routes to College Park. Revamping the area around our campus is extremely important in fostering a greater sense of community. It would be a terrible waste of planning and funding if visitors don’t have another easy option for visiting our wonderful University of Maryland Community.

For these reasons, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) at the University of Maryland supports the development of the Purple Line. This line will connect the ends of the Red Line (Bethesda and Silver Spring), Green Line (College Park) and the Orange Line (New Carrolton). The Purple Line would be extremely helpful in making these locations accessible to Maryland students.

If we are encouraging students to expand their minds, both inside AND outside the classroom, we, as a University community, need to support this initiative which will provide them with a safe and convenient method of doing so. The Campus Drive alignment, officially sanctioned by the RHA on February 26th, 2008, will be the best opportunity for students to travel from Prince George’s County to Montgomery County and back, changing campus life for the better. Students living at the University of Maryland deserve the ability to explore the area without the need to pump expensive gas or to spend hours switching metro lines to get to a town less than 20 miles away. The Residence Hall Association is pleased to join the other student and community groups to support the Purple Line.

For any questions or concerns about the RHA’s position, please do not hesitate to contact us at voice@marylandrha.com

Sincerely,

Alexandra Beuchler
President, Residence Hall Association

www.MarylandRHA.com - www.MarylandRHA.blogspot.com - voice@MarylandRHA.com - 301-314-9679

Posted by: Alex Beuchler, President