Out of the Dark: Slow Traffic Ahead
Construction around campus makes for a cumbersome commute
Either I was misinformed about what time the bus arrives at Stone Gate on Tuesday mornings, or the bus was just plain late—an unfavorable habit it has had since the first day of classes this semester. Either way, Route 9 was a no-show after I trekked to the bus stop. After waiting a total of three minutes (I lack patience and a substantial attention span to boot), I made my way back to my third-floor apartment to beg my roommate for a ride. After she grudgingly agreed, we made our way to Port Republic Road.
Even before reaching Devon Lane, we realized a parade of cars was accumulating, a discouraging indication of what the rest of Port Republic Road would be like. My roommate dropped me at the mouth of Ashby apartment complex so she could get to work on time, forcing me to walk the rest of the way to my class—which happens to be on the Quad. Even though I was hastily walking alongside a stagnant flow of traffic, I knew I was still going to be 15 minutes late. As I passed Zane-Showker Hall, the lovely snow started to fall, and I was quickly engulfed in a raging white sea of flurries.
My warmest garment being a thin zip-up hoodie, I was freezing and soaked from head to toe in melted snow. If only Route 9 could have been on time. If only traffic wasn’t so dreadful on Port Republic Road. If only it wasn’t about to get worse as the months continue.
Developments around Port Republic Road, paired with the construction around and on JMU’s campus makes navigating around Harrisonburg increasingly hectic. Port Republic Road seems to get most congested on weekday mornings, particularly starting around 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays.
According to Monday’s issue of The Breeze, a high-rise apartment building called 865 East will spring up off Port Republic Road in the near future. Since the complex’s 96 apartments will house three or four residents each there could be as many as 300 or so residents, all of whom need to get to campus. Knowing that carpooling to campus isn’t a widespread practice, that could potentially be 300-odd new cars traveling on Port Republic Road at any given time during the week—and this doesn’t even include the volume of traffic the shops included in the complex will produce.
The article quotes 865 East’s director of marketing, Jaime Porter, as saying the apartment building will be the first of its kind in Harrisonburg: “higher-end, nicer-style housing.” I sincerely hope not. This city doesn’t need duplicates of this high-rise popping up all over the place. Higher-end equals higher rent, and since Porter expects to “outdo the competition,” other apartment complexes surrounding JMU will have to up the ante of rent, something that slowly but steadily climbs each year already. Porter also said there is nowhere to go but up because the city is running out of land. Why build such a mega-monstrosity in the first place, especially on the corner of two roads that are already heavily congested? I highlight the construction of this high-rise apartment building because it’s going to be an added symptom of Port Republic Road’s already aggravating gridlock.
In recent months, JMU has caught flak from Harrisonburg for taking over the city by adding more traffic to the road, in addition to sprawling the school’s domain. Why, then, would the city rezone the corner of Devon Lane and Port Republic Road to accommodate more college students and extend off-campus housing opportunities, for the sake of JMU’s expanding enrollment?
I’ve heard countless complaints this semester about the woes of commuting to campus and the flaws of the bus routes that circulate around Harrisonburg. To reduce congestion, I suggest that commuters consider abandoning their cars and instead take full advantage of the buses. This would reduce traffic surrounding campus, which would in turn make the buses run more closely to their schedules. The improved efficiency of the bus routes would encourage commuters to stop clogging the roads with their cars, which saves gas—not only gas from the fuel pumps but harmful gasses that are emitted from our vehicles. This would help us all breathe a little better, knowing we don’t have to inhale awful car or bus exhaust as much, and knowing we are reducing the traffic congestion around JMU.
Anna Young is a sophomore SMAD and sociology major.
