Photo by R. Steve Dick, graphic by Michael Irvin/University Relations
A group of students crosses Jayhawk Boulevard in front of a bus without using a crosswalk. Despite the high amount of traffic on the main thoroughfare of campus, accidents are a rare occurance.
Failure to yield
Crossing campus requires abundance of caution
By Mike Krings
Pedestrians have the right of way. And anyone who's ever driven across campus knows they take that right very seriously.
Whether bobbing their heads to the tunes grooving through their ear buds, gabbing on a cell phone or simply not paying attention, pedestrians on Jayhawk Boulevard frequently step out in front of buses, service trucks and cars to cross the street. But as common as the sudden brake lights are, vehicle-pedestrian accidents on Mount Oread's busiest street are actually quite rare.
"It doesn't happen that often," said Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the Public Safety Office. "Those type of accidents do occur, but it's very infrequent."
Although people often cross the boulevard anywhere but in a crosswalk, pedestrians getting hit by vehicles may in fact be more common off the boulevard. Earlier this month, a postal carrier was hit by a truck that failed to yield in downtown Lawrence and was transported by air ambulance to KU Hospital. Last year, a pedestrian was hit by a car on Memorial Drive near the Spencer Museum of Art. The driver claimed the sun was in his eyes and he couldn't see the man, who was in a crosswalk.
More than 20,000 students traverse the Lawrence campus in a given day. That's not counting the thousands of faculty, staff and others who hike across Mount Oread daily. Traffic access to Jayhawk Boulevard is restricted from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, allowing only buses, service vehicles and drivers with gold parking permits to pass. On an average day, it's not uncommon for more than 1,000 authorized vehicles to enter the boulevard, said Donna Hultine, director of Parking and Transit.
Given those numbers, one might expect more safety problems. But a variety of factors contribute to the relative overall safety. Bailey gives the majority of credit to drivers exercising caution.
"Those drivers who are on Jayhawk Boulevard know there are a lot of pedestrians and that they have to be careful," he said.
He added that Public Safety does not issue a lot of tickets because most drivers proceed slowly and cautiously through campus.
The restricted traffic policy also cuts down on the number of vehicles on campus, thereby reducing the odds that a driver will hit someone on foot.
Warren Corman, university architect, said the traffic restriction policy has been in place for at least 20 years and has helped reduce accidents. There have been ideas brought forth to reduce the traffic on the boulevard even more. The idea of transforming Jayhawk Boulevard into a "pedestrian mall" has been raised. That would, in effect, eliminate all traffic but buses, service vehicles and parking for the disabled from the Chi Omega fountain on the west end to the area in front of Fraser Hall.
"That would cut a lot of traffic. It would narrow it to two lanes, without parking. It would also provide more readily identified crosswalks," Corman said.
A 2000 Jayhawk Boulevard master plan developed by landscape architects Jeffrey L. Bruce and Co. proposed a "Mid-Hill Walk" to help ease foot traffic on the boulevard. The walk would travel from Daisy Hill to Watson Library, traveling just north of Murphy Hall, between the Military Science Building and Anschutz Library, slightly north of Malott Hall and behind the south side of Stauffer-Flint Hall, ending near Watson Library. The walk would be paved and would not include steps, making it fully handicapped accessible.
But there are no foreseeable plans to progress with either idea because of lack of funding and numerous other factors.
In the current state of traffic, Corman agreed there is no substitute for caution.
"There are a lot of places for them to step out from. Whenever I see somebody (crossing), I stop and wave them through," he said. "That's the last thing I would ever want, is to hit somebody."
Pedestrians who pay attention to their cell phones, MP3 players and portable devices instead of oncoming traffic is not a problem unique to Jayhawk Boulevard. Earlier this month, a New York City legislator proposed slapping pedestrians who use electronic devices while crossing the street with a $100 fine.
Bailey said Public Safety takes part in new student orientation, but they can't educate the entire public about the basics, such as using a crosswalk and looking both ways before crossing the street.
"That's something you hope they learned a long time ago," he said.
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