With all of the striking physical changes to Brown's campus greeting returning students this fall, it's possible many missed additions that were right under their feet: dozens of new crosswalks.
Following two incidents last winter — the death of Avi Schaefer '13 on Thayer Street and the hit-and-run of alums Erinn Phelan '09 and Alma Guerrero '09 MD'13 in Brooklyn — Senior Vice President for Corporation Affairs and Governance Russell Carey '91 MA'06 announced the creation of a pedestrian safety review committee at a March faculty meeting.
Last week, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn sent an e-mail to the Brown community regarding enhancements on campus including "implementation of a pedestrian safety initiative on and around our campus including more visible crosswalks."
This pedestrian safety initiative is a direct result of the committee spearheaded by Klawunn and Carey. According to Carey, the committee of students, faculty and staff learned that in the past three years, there have been 14 accidents on campus involving pedestrians, motor vehicles and bicyclists, though most did not entail "serious injuries." Since this finding, the fast-tracked initiative has been launched, focusing on three components — education, awareness and on-campus enforcement — intended not only for pedestrians, but also bicyclists and drivers.
To boost enforcement, the Department of Public Safety has been working in close collaboration with the Providence Police Department to regulate intersections during high-traffic times for students, such as the 10 minutes in between classes. Lt. John Ryan, PPD commander for District 9, said he felt such a measure was "necessary for both operators of motor vehicles and pedestrians."
"Although you have the right of way, you should use caution when you walk," he said, addressing pedestrians.
Approximately 40 crosswalks were also updated to a standard system or were newly created, according to Carey. For example, a crosswalk for pedestrians now exists at the intersection of Brook and Charlesfield streets, and Thayer Street crosswalks were standardized to avoid confusion.
Other changes include improved road signs, marked loading zones for trucks and signals for drivers to slow down at busy crosswalks, such as the Brook Street crossing at Manning Walk. All changes were "coordinated closely with the city of Providence," Carey said.
Klawunn said she is closely involved with the education and awareness components of the initiative. The former includes an orientation program that aimed to provide the class of 2014 with information about pedestrian safety. Fliers have been posted around campus with slogans such as "Brown is not a closed campus" and "Make eye contact," referring to the need for communication with drivers at crosswalks.
Bicyclists are a particular concern. "People can be aggressive drivers, so bikers should err on the side of caution," Klawunn said. She also mentioned that Rhode Island traffic laws for bicyclists are available online.
Looking ahead, the pedestrian safety initiative will require "ongoing assessment," Carey said. For some students, however, the effects are already palpable.
"I've seen DPS wearing nylon green vests late at night," said Fatima Aqeel '12, a former Herald opinions columnist. "It makes me feel … quite secure."
Hannah Riskin-Jones '13 said she had noticed the new crosswalk painted across Thayer Street near the Soldier's Arch construction site. "I don't think anyone bothers to look," she added. "You can tell that someone is from Los Angeles or New York or a big city based on if they look at the crosswalk."
It remains to be seen whether or not the initiative will influence student behavior.
Referring to the new crosswalks, Ylan Vo '12 said, "I haven't really noticed."
