In the last month alone, there have been two bicycle accidents on campus, both of which were the fault of the bicyclist and resulted in them receiving a citation.
To combat this problem, the University of Idaho has forged plans to construct two renovated walkways on 6th Street in front of the Theophilus Tower, and on Deakin Street between the Student Union Building and UI VandalStore.
UI is allocating funds via a bond to improve these areas of campus to discourage cars from driving fast and to make pedestrian areas more obvious.
This is a long-awaited and much-needed improvement considering the number of accidents and near accidents that have occurred at these locations. It is good the university is taking these necessary steps to help prevent accidents.
But UI can only do so much to prevent pedestrian, vehicle and bicycle accidents. The rest falls to the members of our community — students, faculty, staff and visitors alike. Legally speaking, pedestrians and bicyclists must take appropriate cautions when crossing the street and can be subject to citation if officers determine the person in question is at fault in a collision.
It isn’t an absurd concept to slow down for 5-10 seconds, or look both ways before crossing the street, to ensure an oncoming vehicle sees you and begins to slow down.
On the other hand, drivers can always be more vigilant, especially when going through campus areas with a high amount of foot traffic. Slow down, watch out and always give pedestrians and bicyclists the right of way.
UI is doing its part to make our campus safer for everyone. It’s time we follow suit.
–KM