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UCLA has a massive transportation problem. Any member or visitor of this great campus can tell you that. But as seen in “Be creative with lack of parking,” (Nov. 22) most students have given up any hope of the situation improving.

The problem is in large part due to the limits UCLA has on the number of parking spaces and daily trips of people arriving or leaving allowed, agreed upon with the city of Los Angeles.

With the new hospital opening, UCLA has agreed to keep the existing parking limits until 2010, long after we will be gone.

While this could cause most to sulk with the feeling that nothing will change, they are wrong. Not only are things changing, but the situation is getting worse for students. But there is something you can do about it.

BruinGo!, a fare-reduction program and agreement with the Big Blue Bus and Culver City Bus lines, is under attack from our neighbors on the Hilgard side of campus. BruinGo! is attempting to expand – UCLA is trying to include the Metro this year – and our Hilgard neighbors are complaining to Councilman Jack Weiss about the terrible and constant noise of the buses traveling to the UCLA Transit Center by Murphy Hall.

They have been so successful that all bus lines using the terminal have agreed to close the transit mall and instead drive on campus at night. But this is not enough for the residents.

They are constantly lobbying for the transit center to be closed, and they are gaining momentum. Soon, it would not be surprising if the terminal permanently closed, causing students to have to walk from Ackerman or farther to North Campus for classes, research and work.

So far, students have been mostly quiet. The Undergraduate Students Association Council has fought the closure, but we need your help. E-mail and call your representatives to tell them you do not want this transit center closed. Even if you are faculty or staff, write to USAC and let us know. We can take these messages to Weiss, just as our neighbors do, and fight the changes they wish to impose upon us.

You can send these letters to the facilities commissioner or the internal vice president or even directly to me, your representative to Transportation Services at UCLA.

Things are getting better here; UCLA’s vanpool program has won awards for being the oldest and best vanpool program in the county. Additionally, a Bike Master Plan is currently being developed to help make UCLA and the surrounding area more bike friendly.

As mentioned above, we are trying to increase BruinGo! to include the L.A. Metro bus lines. We can make UCLA better – all it takes is a voice. Send us your comments and we can make this campus what you want it to be.

Vardner is the undergraduate Transportation Services representative. He can be reached at jvardner@ucla.edu.