Crosswalk steps up student safety
The crosswalk lights improve safety, but only if the button is pushed
Jessie Hethcoat
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
If a pedestrian is hit by a motor vehicle going 40 miles an hour, statistics show that person has an 85 percent chance of dying, according to the Department of Transportation of Oregon.
UP does not want anyone taking that chance.
The City of Portland, working with the University, recently installed a pedestrian activated light system on the crosswalk on Willamette Boulevard.
Establishing a clearer message to motorists, the flashing yellow lights provide a safer way for pedestrians to cross the street near the university's main entrance.
James Kuffner, assistant vice president for Human Resources and Administration, is the university liason to the surrounding UP neighborhood and was the administrator in charge of the new crosswalk's production.
Recently, however, Kuffner and other administrators have noticed that some pedestrians are not pressing the button that illuminates the sidewalk lights.
"When you come down the sidewalk on the main entry, the box with the button on it is a little inconvenient," Kuffner said. "The temptation is to take the angle and cut across, not pressing the button."
This detour to press the crosswalk button is a matter of five or six steps, yet many people do not press the button when returning home from campus for this very reason.
Last year ,before the crosswalk was illuminated, ASUP wrote a resolution asking the University to make the crosswalk safer.
The crosswalk light project, Kuffner states, was difficult to manage because of problems with the City of Portland.
"It had a tortuous path from early discussion to design," Kuffner said.
Kuffner explains that even getting the first crosswalk installed in front of the university was difficult to pull off.
The City was reluctant to change the set up of Willamette Boulevard because it would complicate the traffic patterns of the street.
"Eventually, we put a condition of approval on ourselves and paid for the crosswalk to be installed," Kuffner said. "We couldn't wait on the city to change their minds."
UP does not want anyone taking that chance.
The City of Portland, working with the University, recently installed a pedestrian activated light system on the crosswalk on Willamette Boulevard.
Establishing a clearer message to motorists, the flashing yellow lights provide a safer way for pedestrians to cross the street near the university's main entrance.
James Kuffner, assistant vice president for Human Resources and Administration, is the university liason to the surrounding UP neighborhood and was the administrator in charge of the new crosswalk's production.
Recently, however, Kuffner and other administrators have noticed that some pedestrians are not pressing the button that illuminates the sidewalk lights.
"When you come down the sidewalk on the main entry, the box with the button on it is a little inconvenient," Kuffner said. "The temptation is to take the angle and cut across, not pressing the button."
This detour to press the crosswalk button is a matter of five or six steps, yet many people do not press the button when returning home from campus for this very reason.
Last year ,before the crosswalk was illuminated, ASUP wrote a resolution asking the University to make the crosswalk safer.
The crosswalk light project, Kuffner states, was difficult to manage because of problems with the City of Portland.
"It had a tortuous path from early discussion to design," Kuffner said.
Kuffner explains that even getting the first crosswalk installed in front of the university was difficult to pull off.
The City was reluctant to change the set up of Willamette Boulevard because it would complicate the traffic patterns of the street.
"Eventually, we put a condition of approval on ourselves and paid for the crosswalk to be installed," Kuffner said. "We couldn't wait on the city to change their minds."
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