Pedestrian Issues to Be Addressed By Campus Police

As reported in Sept. 3 issue of The Rotunda, one of the biggest concerns for campus police this semester is pedestrian safety. Chief of Police Bob Beach is spearheading several new measures in cooperation with the Town of Farmville. However, he also needs student cooperation to make sure that no one is hurt or killed by not following the law."Thankfully, we have not had any pedestrian accidents involving students yet," said Beach. There are two issues that concern Beach the most: "A lack of understanding by pedestrians and vehicle operators," and simple negligence of the law. According to the Code of Virginia, Code 1950, Section 46.2-923, ".pedestrians shall not carelessly or maliciously interfere with the orderly passage of vehicles. They shall cross, wherever possible, only at intersections or marked crosswalks. Where intersections contain no marked crosswalks, pedestrians shall not be guilty of negligence as a matter of law." The pedestrian must understand that vehicles are supposed to stop when people are in the crosswalk, but many confuse that notion, Beach said. "You cannot run out into the crosswalk and expect them [the vehicle operators] to stop."

Beach is currently working with Farmville's Public Works Department to put some sort of signage with reminders about pedestrians along Main Street. That area contains one of the most heavily-traveled crosswalks, which helps students from the Landings get to campus. However, putting up more signs is not Beach's prime solution to his concerns. "Signs are initially good," Beach said, "and most people and pedestrians intend to do the right thing and then get caught up in the routine of life," and that's when accidents can happen.

In addition, Beach and campus police also recently received some good news from the Board of Visitors meeting that took place on Friday, Sept. 12, where the Capital Plan was approved. The significance of the Capital Plan to Beach and the police is that it contains "a whole section devoted to pedestrian traffic." The plan allows the police department to purchase new technology specifically to help keep pedestrians safe, including a system of lights that will be buried in the roadway. These lights flash when a car is approaching a crosswalk to catch the attention of the vehicle operators and prevent any accidents. However, Beach clearly stated that the system is expensive and will "take some time [to be purchased], not one or two semesters."

Though purchasing new technology will take some time, Beach and his fellow officers have been working hard in the last few weeks to produce educational materials for both Longwood students and Farmville citizens. Sgt. Delbridge Dove has been designing brochures and fliers reminding students about crosswalks and pedestrian safety. In addition, Beach and Dove have been in contact with the University to set up several forums to educate people about crosswalks and how important they are for safety. Beach is also working on several articles for The Farmville Herald to educate the public about pedestrian safety.

Beach said, "You are not going to win against an automobile," so it is pedestrians' responsibility to use sidewalks and crosswalks to ensure their safety while crossing Farmville's streets. Beach has also noticed that jaywalking is becoming a major problem and said that "enforcement action" may be taken at certain intersections if it continues. Although jaywalking is not illegal is Virginia, it is one of Beach's main concerns, because pedestrians not using sidewalks and crosswalks put both their lives and the lives of the people in vehicles at risk.

What Beach fears more than anything with pedestrian safety is when students or citizens mix alcohol with the situation. "I fear that students will go and drink and not pay attention [to the road] or go get in a car and drive drunk," which endangers both the driver and those pedestrians trying to get where they're going. Longwood received a grant for alcohol enforcement this year, and special attention will be devoted to educating everyone about its importance to pedestrian safety.

Beach also confirmed that Longwood is "moving toward a foot-traffic community" and that "vehicles are farther away [from students]." This issue will also receive special attention this year, with Beach and the department looking into providing shuttle services to cars within campus.

Above all, Beach wants to advocate to students that, "If you don't take the time [to be safe], there's not a lot we can do." He urges everyone on campus to slow down and think when crossing the street. The safest way is to use sidewalks and crosswalks. Longwood is lucky that no students have been hurt or killed in pedestrian accidents, but if students don't advocate for their own safety and use common sense, the consequences can be life changing or deadly.