By APRIL REYNOLDS

akr011@latech.edu

 

Despite flashing lights and other signs to alert drivers, students say safety at crosswalks is minimal.

Robert Harris, a junior accounting major, said he was hit by a car and injured while attempting to cross a crosswalk his sophomore year at Tech. He said the accident happened around 6 p.m. on the first day of classes of winter quarter.

“People do not like to stop because everyone is so impatient,” Harris said. “The crosswalks are not safe at all.”

Latanya Stipe, a junior computer information systems major, said she agrees the crosswalks are very dangerous, and people are just not willing to wait.

“Even in the daytime when a lot of people are crossing, people don’t want to wait, and they try to squeeze by as other people are still crossing,” Stipe said.

Dickie Crawford, dean of student life and auxiliary services, said the campus has not recently had any accidents reported involving the crosswalks.

“So far we’ve had a very safe fall quarter,” Crawford said. “The crosswalks are safe, but as in any situation, pedestrians and drivers need to take precautions to be safer.”

Crawford said students should not just enter the crosswalk without checking for approaching cars. He said this is necessary because the sun can prevent drivers from seeing pedestrians.

“Before stepping out, pedestrians need to look both ways to make sure drivers see them before proceeding to walk,” Crawford said.

The campus has even added features this year like campus police patrolling the two crosswalks on Railroad Avenue during heavy-traffic hours in the mornings, and signs of “crosswalk approaching” and “pedestrians crossing haven” were added to reduce danger, he said.

“With the addition of the University Park apartments, the parking lots and the bridge, we knew there would be a lot of traffic, and we tried to find ways to alleviate this problem,” Crawford said.

He also said the two crosswalks on Tech Drive have flashing lights indicating to drivers to be more cautious.

“Cars will tend to see that and be a little more careful,” Crawford said.

Stipe said the additions still do not make crosswalks safe. She said even with the blinking lights, crosswalks are still especially dangerous at night because drivers, including herself, are less alert, not thinking that people are crossing.

“Though it was unintentional, I’ve created dangerous situations on the crosswalks,” Stipe said. “At night, for instance, you don’t expect someone to be crossing, so you’re less cautious about stopping.”

Stipe said she does not know anyone who has been hit on a crosswalk, but has seen many close calls and does not believe the crosswalks are safe because of the danger she has seen.

“I don’t understand how [the crosswalks are] thought of as being safe,” Stripe said. “I’ve seen people almost get hit, right in front of my own eyes.”

Despite no reported accidents this year, Crawford said changes are in place to lessen traffic on-campus for the safety of pedestrians who must walk across campus.

Crawford said, “We want to have a safe core of our campus that’s mostly vehicle-free, with cars being on the exterior of campus as to provide an inner core that’s just for students, faculty and staff to walk freely.”