By Abby Rathbun
A few weeks back, I saw the hard-to-miss, flashing lights in the crosswalk on Floyd Street for the first time. I immediately thought: Was this really necessary? Out of all the improvements needed on campus, from old water fountains to faulty physics labs, this is what campus officials decided was necessary?
The installation of lights into a fairly busy roadway could not have been a cheap project. Could a better use of that money be for labs or libraries or lecture halls? Those items would seem to have more of a lasting effect, benefitting more students. In the grand scheme of the university’s budget, I’m sure the money spent on the lights is not large. But it would likely help pay for renovations of a floor of a dormitory, or for new desks in Life Sciences 101. Those improvements I would stand behind 100 percent.
Crosswalk safety should be followed and paid attention to, but there are crosswalks at the intersections of Floyd Street and East Brandeis Avenue, as well as at Floyd and Warnock. There is even a crosswalk at the exit of the parking garage. We’re in a city; both pedestrians and cars should be aware of the increased traffic and perils that come along with being in a city.
According to the Lighting Research Center at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the effects of the lights diminish over time. They suggest that the lights be manually triggered, rather than automatic. The lights on Floyd Street are activated any time someone happens to be standing near the crosswalk, whether or not they want to cross. Perhaps this is the reason that the large majority of drivers completely ignore the flashing lights, as well as pedestrians who may actually want to cross. It was effective in causing me to slow down the first time I saw it. However, I was so distracted by the flashing lights, and thinking that campus was turning into Las Vegas, that I entirely missed the two pedestrians attempting to cross the street.
Maybe it would be a better idea to add flashing lights all around campus. Give the entire campus that classy, Las Vegas look. Add some spinning lights behind the clock at the Student Activities Center, or line the entrances to all the buildings with snake lights in various colors. It would be like the Whoville Christmas all year long. Maybe it would inspire creativity, school spirit and safety. Of course, there would be the risk of an increase in seizures. But isn’t that likely with the crosswalk as well?
Maybe even an elevated crosswalk from the second floor of the parking garage to the fields on the other side of the street would eliminate the problem, with lower energy costs.
Crosswalks ought to be at street intersections. We often like to ignore it, but we are a downtown campus; we cannot pretend that it is a suburban campus. Pedestrians, as well as drivers, should act as if they are surrounded by tall buildings. Or just keep the lights—I’ll call it early Christmas decorating.
