The arctic temperatures sweeping through Happy Valley have caused an increase in rider volume on the Campus and Town Loops. The buses are being flooded with many students, raising concern for some.

At last week's Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate meeting, Penn State President Graham Spanier said providing fare-free Loop service could have been one of the worst decisions he has ever made.

However, in a written statement, Spanier said he hopes to maintain Penn State's current commitment to the Loop.

The fare-free Loop began in 1999, and its costs are subsidized by tuition.

Some university officials say too many students are using the Loop service for short distances, such as from East Halls to the Forum Building.

"We are trying to develop a campus for those who are going to walk to be more safe and easy," Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said. "The hope is to make it easier to walk around campus."

New buildings and structures such as the Information Sciences Technology (IST) building and new road restrictions across campus will facilitate this goal, Mahon said.

Another suggestion Spanier made at the meeting was to add five minutes between classes to offer student more time to walk to class.

Eric Bernier, Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) director of service development, said bus congestion is not always the result of too many students taking the bus short distances. Traffic delays around the core of campus and poor weather affect the regular operation of the Loop, he said.

Penn State is trying to move traffic from the core of campus to the outskirts. This will improve the bus service to students, Bernier said. Moving traffic out of the center of campus will help the bus system to serve more people without adding more buses.

Bernier said he agrees with Spanier that many students use the Loop to travel one or two blocks instead of preserving bus space by walking shorter distances.

Bernier said CATA is a victim of its own convenience.

"It is an interesting challenge because the whole system is built around convenience, but we are looking to see where we are too convenient. We want to retain its usefulness while reducing convenience for people who use it for short distances," he said.

CATA is re-evaluating Loop stop locations, Bernier said. Officials from CATA and the university have been looking at the stops to see where combining or eliminating a stops could help the flow.

"These changes will discourage riders to ride one or two blocks, but at the same time help students get around for larger distances," Bernier said. "If we do it right, over the years we will have stops where needed, but fewer [stops]. So by nature, people will walk more by strategically placing stops."

Some students have requested that CATA use more buses to ease the congestion.

However, Bernier said the addition of more buses does not really solve the situation, especially when traffic is a prime factor.

Some students complain about waiting at overly crowded Loop stops across campus, especially the stop in front of East Halls.

"The buses are way too crowded, and sometimes I am late because I have to wait for a bus that I can get on. I wish they offered more buses at peak time because that is when the service is the worst," Loanne Johnson (freshman-accounting) said.

She said she uses the Loop 90 percent of the time traveling to class, even when traveling short distances.

"If I see a bus I will take it, no matter the distance," Johnson said.

Even students who do not use the Loop on a regular basis expressed the importance of it.

Jon Channell (junior-agricultural and biological engineering) said he does not use the Loop much, but he understands that students almost have to use it to get to some destinations, especially with these cold temperatures. He said he thinks the university-subsidized Loop system should continue, and it is not a mistake.

"I think Spanier should stick with this program because it is a pain waiting in line, and I am really surprised that he would say that," Channell said.