In an effort to create a more pedestrian friendly campus, the University of Idaho has been studying ways to improve crosswalks in high traffic areas.
Steven Devine | Argonaut
The University of Idaho has been conducting research to provide safer street crossings in high-flow areas of campus. One crossing is between the Student Union Building and the UI VandalStore on Deakin Avenue. One safety enhancement idea is a raised sidewalk, giving a visual aid to help drivers slow down.
Cameras were set up to video the car and pedestrian traffic flow, John Hasko, Idaho senate representative said, and there were a number of people who didn’t cross in the crosswalks.
“People were talking on their cell phones, not watching,” Hasko said. “Seeing these patterns that were happening at these intersections was unbelievable.”
Deakin Street between the Student Union Building and the VandalStore, and Sixth Street by the Sixth Street Marketplace had the highest amount of vehicle and pedestrian conflict, said Raymond Pankopf, director of architecture and engineering services. Potential proposals of how to make these streets safer began to be drawn up, he said.
Hasko said during the Campus Planning Community meetings it is always a goal to improve pedestrian walking, such as additional lights by the soccer field.
“It is an ongoing effort to make the campus more pedestrian and bike friendly,” he said, “There is no way to say that you don’t want a safer campus.”
Pankopf said after the design contract with the architecture company, Bernardo Mills, ends, the UI administration will be asked to help fund the construction process.
“The goal is not to necessarily eliminate vehicular traffic but slow it down and mediate the traffic flow. How can we make this visually appear, giving the message that this is a pedestrian priority area, to drivers and pedestrians?” Pankopf said.
The proposal includes putting in raised, enhanced pavement where people would walk, with ramps coming up from street level to pedestrian level on both sides, he said. This idea is used often in bigger cities such as Seattle and Portland. This gives drivers an automatic urge to slow down, he said. It would be about a 50 foot wide walkway for students by the 6th Street Marketplace.
“Planted medians would also be added to tell pedestrians to go through the 50 foot pedestrian walkway and not to jay-walk or cut across somewhere else,” he said. “It also feels visually more constricted, giving drivers an impulse to slow down.”
Pankopf said banners would be added over the median and flashing warning lights would be added, as well, to warn drivers of the pedestrian cross walk.
“Brick arches may be added too, making the feeling of walking through the Administration Building lawn emulate through the rest of campus, giving campus a sense of place,” Pankopf said.
He said the area between the SUB and the VandalStore would have many of the same features, except there would be two walkways about 20 feet wide and more plant and street furnishings to really focus pedestrians to cross in the raised walkways.
This plan to improve the streets for pedestrians will be presented to ASUI and landscape and architect students, he said. A survey to get student opinions is in the works through the transportation department.
“I am looking forward to potential calmer and safer streets for both parties,” Pankopf said.
Emily Aizawa can be reached at [email protected]
