After reading the recent cover story about the student who was struck by a vehicle on 48th Avenue, I felt prompted to voice my concerns. While there are various issues of walkability with that stretch of road, my greatest concern is that there is minimal lighting with no PROPER crosswalks. Not only have I walked and biked through the intersection of S Campus and 48th at various hours and felt highly vulnerable, but I cannot count the times I have driven that stretch and almost hit a pedestrian due to lack of lighting. Many cases have been that the students were walking along the side of the road, but a number of instances have involved someone in the crosswalk designated area, dead of night, blinking yellow light (means proceed for vehicle unless pedestrians are visible), no pedestrians visible, so I drive. As I approach, pedestrian is visible, but I am a mere 10 feet away from them. A proper crosswalk has painted lanes for the pedestrian to walk through and the driver to stop at; 48th has a 3 inch wide strip that extends about 6 feet into the right turn lane. These points combined with the 55 mile per hour speed limit set for that avenue provide for a negative environment for the pedestrian. For a university and surrounding community that claim they care about student safety, they are doing a lackluster job of showing it.

Cassie Miles

5th year, Chemistry Education major