NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin A student checks for cars as he
crosses Gayley Avenue on Wednesday. One member of USAC has proposed
that the city add a new crosswalk due to heavy pedestrian traffic
on that street.
By Arj Arjunan
Daily Bruin Contributor
A member of the Undergraduate Students Association Council is
issuing a second request to the city’s Department of
Transportation to add a crosswalk at Gayley and Landfair Avenues
where many students cross from nearby apartments to the campus.
Bends in the road and low levels of visibility heighten danger
at the intersection, said USAC general representative David Dahle,
who has sent letters to city council members voicing concern about
pedestrian safety.
“I’ve always thought the crossing was pretty
dangerous,” Dahle said. “It’s just a matter of
time before there’s a serious accident.”
Former Fifth District council member Mike Feuer responded to
Dahle’s letter by requesting a DOT study of the intersection
to assess pedestrian and automobile traffic patterns.
Mohammad Blorfroshan, the DOT transportation engineer in the
Western District, wrote a letter to Dahle, saying the May 2000
study of police records indicate no instances of pedestrian traffic
accidents.
DOT policy only permits the installation of crosswalks at
non-signalized locations when heavy pedestrian traffic exists or a
history of accidents warrants action, Blorfroshan stated in the
letter.
But regular use of the intersection as a street crossing
warrants a crosswalk if safety is a priority for the city, Dahle
said.
Additionally, the DOT did not conduct its survey during times of
heavy pedestrian traffic, according to Lisa Trifiletti, a field
deputy in Fifth District council member Jack Weiss’s
office.
“We have asked the DOT to conduct a targeted study,”
Trifiletti said. “Getting a gauge of pedestrian traffic on
busy evenings will influence the conclusions of the
study.”
According to Trifiletti, Dahle submitted a videotape that
recorded pedestrian traffic between 9 and 11 p.m. But the DOT needs
video recordings from different occasions in order to get an
accurate assessment of the problem, she said.
The conclusions of the first study also cited the presence of an
alternate crosswalk from the De Neve Residence Halls to the other
side of Gayley Avenue in their refusal to add another
crosswalk.
Chris Dowding, a third-year psychology student, regularly
crosses Gayley at its intersection with Landfair to return to his
apartment.
“A lot of people use that area to cross the street,”
Dowding said. “I don’t think the crosswalk near De Neve
does much to reduce pedestrian traffic at (the Landfair and Gayley)
intersection.”
Dahle said he fears it will take a serious accident before the
DOT takes notice of the safety concerns related to the
intersection.
“When an accident occurs, they will have to take
action,” Dahle said. “By installing a crosswalk and
taking other appropriate measures, the city can take steps to avoid
an incident before it occurs.”