Cal Poly Pomona students who ride Foothill Transit to and from classes no longer have access to a centrally located stop on campus and must walk about a mile to a public stop on Temple Avenue near the school.

Why can't the buses use their usual route through the campus? The university plans to build a new parking structure and officials have decided the area now occupied by the Foothill bus stop is the perfect spot.

A university spokesperson said officials are still deciding what to do about the on-campus bus route but that doesn't help those students trudging across campus from the Temple stop. That's just not fair. Especially since construction hasn't even begun. The project is still in the design stage.

Naturally Foothill Transit officials are alarmed as the abrupt move has effectively shut them off campus after they were instrumental in securing federal transportation dollars through Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, to repair campus roads damaged by the buses.

They feel like it's a case of take the money and run.

University Vice President Ron Fremont has said that just isn't so and that he thought Foothill knew about the planned construction. Seems communication is needed.

Building additional parking on the prime, central location makes sense for the majority of students and faculty who drive to school. It's also an especially good investment. With current parking permits going for $54 per space per quarter and the new parking structure planned for 2,650 spaces ... well, you do the math. The university will likely recoup the $27.9 million cost in record time.

Poly officials point out that not all the bus riders are students. No, Foothill is a public transit agency even as Cal Poly is a public school. Both are funded through taxpayer dollars. Maintaining a stop on campus is a good way to give back to the community that supports the university. That's something to which most public institutions at least give lip-service.

Certainly, the university is right to provide much-needed additional parking to serve the greatest number of students.

Still, shouldn't Cal Poly strive to serve all students, regardless of socioeconomic means? Some students just can't afford their own cars or prefer doing the environmentally responsible thing by using public transportation. Seems public agencies ought to promote alternative transportation that helps conserve precious fossil fuels and clear the air.

Cal Poly Pomona would appear to have a near mandate in that regard. This university is home to the widely touted John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies. The center promotes and teaches how to live lightly on the land and not only sustain but regenerate resources through eco-friendly means.

We'd say a meeting of the minds is needed between Foothill and Cal Poly to clear up confusion and put buses into what should be a campus transportation hub, not just a sterile parking structure.

Maybe Foothill can even become a financial partner in the venture. But until actual construction begins sometime this summer, Foothill riders and students should have access to the central transit center.