Hello! I lived in a complex next to the West lot until very recently. You absolutely can walk over and ride the shuttles to both St Marys and to downtown. You only need your badge to ride. They run very often in the busy morning and afternoon hours so even if one is full, you can catch the next one within 5-15 minutes. Usually that is not necessary as you can stand on them when the seats are full. This is more of an issue on the return trip at the end of the day, in my experience.