2008 Woodie Awards
Pedestrians aren't the only ones police should be watching on Edgar Road
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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Correction appended
It seems rather ironic that just as the much-needed traffic signals were erected on Edgar Road to keep students safe, two accidents occurred in the vicinity. One cyclist was hit in front of the Pearson house by a Webster van and the other was hit at the Big Bend Boulevard and Plymouth Avenue intersection.
However, the traffic signal at the Edgar Road and Garden Avenue intersection will start working within the next week. The Student Government Association (SGA) fought hard last year to get the stoplight installed after many students complained of close calls with cars when they tried to cross the street. While the risk factor involved in crossing the street is about to decrease, that doesn't mean student's problems with the crosswalk are over.
In an e-mail sent to the campus discussion list Director of Facilities Planning, David Stone, warned students to follow the crossing light signals or risk jaywalking fines. According to Stone, the Webster Groves police have said if students cross the street at random instead of respecting the signal, the department will consider an enforcement operation aimed at pedestrians.
Now that a traffic light is in place, the responsibility has been placed on pedestrians, though it would make more sense to watch drivers with more scrutiny. Vehicles are the ones that cause the injuries in collisions with pedestrians, after all.
It's all well and good that the police will enforce jaywalking on the street, since the point of installing the stoplight was to ensure pedestrian safety. Our question is, where were the police when we were standing on the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street as dozens of cars sped by, refusing to yield to pedestrians as the law instructs them to?
It's enough to make one think the police aren't looking out for the interests of students, only nearby residents who speed past the university.
The site of one of the accidents was corrected to read "Big Bend Boulevard and Plymouth Avenue."
It seems rather ironic that just as the much-needed traffic signals were erected on Edgar Road to keep students safe, two accidents occurred in the vicinity. One cyclist was hit in front of the Pearson house by a Webster van and the other was hit at the Big Bend Boulevard and Plymouth Avenue intersection.
However, the traffic signal at the Edgar Road and Garden Avenue intersection will start working within the next week. The Student Government Association (SGA) fought hard last year to get the stoplight installed after many students complained of close calls with cars when they tried to cross the street. While the risk factor involved in crossing the street is about to decrease, that doesn't mean student's problems with the crosswalk are over.
In an e-mail sent to the campus discussion list Director of Facilities Planning, David Stone, warned students to follow the crossing light signals or risk jaywalking fines. According to Stone, the Webster Groves police have said if students cross the street at random instead of respecting the signal, the department will consider an enforcement operation aimed at pedestrians.
Now that a traffic light is in place, the responsibility has been placed on pedestrians, though it would make more sense to watch drivers with more scrutiny. Vehicles are the ones that cause the injuries in collisions with pedestrians, after all.
It's all well and good that the police will enforce jaywalking on the street, since the point of installing the stoplight was to ensure pedestrian safety. Our question is, where were the police when we were standing on the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street as dozens of cars sped by, refusing to yield to pedestrians as the law instructs them to?
It's enough to make one think the police aren't looking out for the interests of students, only nearby residents who speed past the university.
The site of one of the accidents was corrected to read "Big Bend Boulevard and Plymouth Avenue."