The Mount Vernon Express relocated its pickup and drop-off zone on the Foggy Bottom Campus to 23rd Street before reopening earlier this month.
University spokesperson Crystal Nosal said officials moved the location from the front of Funger Hall to outside the Tompkins Hall of Engineering last month – located on 23rd Street between G and H streets. She said officials moved the zone because the protected bike lane on G Street that was constructed last year reduced the amount of space for shuttles stopping on the street.
Nosal said five Vex shuttles could previously stop along G Street simultaneously, but that number fell to two following the installation of the two-way bike lane.
“The decision was determined by accessing the campus to find the safest area to conduct shuttle operations from,” Nosal said in an email. “With the increase to the protected bike lanes on campus and pedestrians, we felt it is safest to operate our shuttle service on the perimeter of campus rather than having a large shuttle trying to navigate safely through our campus while maintaining our shuttle schedule.”
Nosal said officials also changed the shuttle’s route leaving Foggy Bottom – the Vex will head north up 23rd Street to Washington Circle before turning onto K Street and connecting to Whitehurst Freeway, where the rest of the route will remain unchanged. She said the Vex’s route from the Vern to Foggy Bottom will also be the same as previous years.
Nosal said signage at the current and previous pickup and drop-off locations and on the University’s website will notify riders of the recent change. She said officials do not plan to make any additional changes to other Vex stops, and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus Express Shuttle will keep its stop in front of Funger Hall on G Street.
