A new construction plan may help Central Campus residents feel safer as they cross Anderson Street this spring.
The Public Works Department of the City of Durham is planning to build crosswalks where Anderson Street meets Yearby and Lewis streets.
The plan comes in the wake of an accident that occurred Feb. 2 when a female undergraduate student was hit by a car as she was crossing the Anderson and Yearby intersection.
"The accident prompted me to go out and take a look at the situation," said Phil Loziuk, traffic operations engineer for the transportation division of the city's Public Works Department.
Loziuk heard about the dangers posed by the dearth of crosswalks on Central from John Schelp, president of the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association.
Loziuk said that a consultant's report of the pedestrian plan for all of Durham is in the works. He said it will focus on areas that have been especially treacherous, such as the intersection where the student was hit.
A draft of the report will be released this week, and plans should be finalized within the next two months, Loziuk said.
He added that he would like to see the Anderson Street crosswalks-which will cost less than $200 in total and will be funded by the City of Durham-constructed as soon as possible.
Loziuk noted, however, that because the crosswalks will be made of a plastic material that cannot withstand winter temperatures, it is unlikely that they will be in place until April.
The plan for the new crosswalks is viewed favorably by members of the Duke community.
"I think it's a very good idea, especially in light of the previous accident," said Lieutenant Sara-Jane Raines of the Duke University Police Department.
Central Campus residents share similar sentiments.
Senior Neil Williams was alerted to the dangers of traffic on Central Campus when his roommate was struck by a car in the fall of 2004.
"I think it would be a good idea," he said of the construction. "I think a crosswalk will make people more comfortable."
Senior Crystal Agi agreed, noting she has found traffic patterns perilous as she has crossed the streets of Central Campus to hang fliers at bus stops.
"Anytime you cross the street, it's really dangerous," she said. "It's really hard to find the time to walk across because there [are cars] filtering in from Erwin [Road]."
Agi noted that she is aware of several common problems on Central Campus roads. She said she frequently sees cars attempting to pass buses and that as a driver she often witnesses jaywalking-a common term that refers to the action of pedestrians who cross the street outside of a crosswalk, causing cars to yield.
Jaywalking is classified as a misdemeanor in the state of North Carolina. With the absence of crosswalks on Central Campus, however, jaywalking is a typical occurrence.
"When I drive there, people are racing across the street," Agi said. "I'm not surprised that someone got hit."
Although they are pleased with the change, students like Agi will still have to wait a few months before the new crosswalks are constructed.
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