Editorial: Top 10 locations for the Bigelow shuttle stop

Pitt announced yesterday that, because of campus master plan construction, the Bigelow campus shuttle stops would be relocated closer to Schenley Plaza and Hillman Library from Nov. 1 through August 2020. While it’s true that we’d probably walk through hell or high water anywhere to catch the campus shuttle, we have a few suggestions. Here are the editorial board’s top 10 locations for where the new shuttle stop should be.

10. Lothrop Hall

It’s far from campus, halfway up a hill, composed entirely of singles and located right next to the hospital. It feels forgotten as is. The least we could do is provide a campus shuttle stop right outside the entrance for the residents.

9. Right outside our houses

This is likely going to make for a very long shuttle ride. But it’s also likely going to be very worth it when it’s 19 degrees outside and the sidewalks are covered in snow.

8. Outside of Roots Natural Kitchen

It’s right in the middle of Atwood Street and Meyran Avenue, which house hundreds of Pitt’s upperclass students. Plus, it will also serve as a sidewalk decongestant, since one must always dodge the line of hungry Oakland residents stretching out Roots’ door.

7. Merante

It’s the only grocery store in Oakland not owned by Pitt. It’s also the only grocery store in Oakland where you don’t need to take a mortgage out in order to buy a banana.

6. East Liberty Target

No college student has all three — a place to buy Tide Pods with their 10% REDcard discount, good grades and convenient transportation to Target. Except for Carnegie Mellon students, whose campus shuttle stops right in front of the East Liberty Target. Our tuition is high. We want all three, too.

5. The Pitt News office

It’s obviously the most popular spot on campus, or at least it will be if Pitt puts the shuttle stop right in front of the WPU doors.

4. New Dunkin’

It might not be accepting Panther Funds yet, but that hasn’t stopped students from swarming the newly renovated coffee shop. It’s cheaper than Starbucks, and their iced coffee has a cult following. Plus, with its wide glass windows, we could see the campus shuttle coming from a mile away.

3. Outside the Starbucks on Fifth

Since its 24-hour operation stint was pretty short-lived, we can’t sleep in the wooden chairs all night with a mocha in hand when it gets too late to walk home. If we can’t stay in Starbucks all night, at least don’t make us walk more than 2 feet to the shuttle stop after closing …

2. The nearest 7-Eleven

Pitt destroyed the hopes and dreams of most undergraduate students in September 2017, when it announced the closure of the most beloved spot on campus — the 7-Eleven on Forbes. The University owes us a shuttle stop at the next closest location of this convenience store.

1. Scrap the shuttle and build a monorail

If the University has been trying to find a solution to jaywalking, this is a much more thorough idea than the Lawrence Hall crosswalk. Think of all the study time we could save not waiting for three hours at a time for that walk sign. The monorail worked quite well for Disney World, so it should probably work at Pitt, too.