When you’re told to park in a lot across the street from your home, you’d expect there to be a crosswalk to make incoming traffic aware that it’s a pedestrian heavy area.
That unfortunately isn’t the case for the dorm residents who have had the misfortune of being assigned to lot M9. That includes me, the person writing this.
What makes this an issue is the fact that the M9 lot is right next to Main Street. Many would find that to be a benefit, but it’s quite frankly a double-edged sword. The dorm lot and the associated parking lot is easy for students new to Decatur to find, which is great. However, due to that fact, many, many people drive on that street almost 24/7. It’s really not as great as it sounds, because with the lack of crosswalks, it’s a recipe for disaster.
The path to most of the other campus buildings like the Commons has not only a crosswalk but also specialized traffic lights and a sign to notify drivers of pedestrians. Yet the freshmen assigned to lot M9 aren’t given that same privilege. If there are enough students with vehicles that attend this campus to necessitate a parking lot near the dorms, then it should be safer and easier to get to.
The nearest crosswalk is several meters away from the M9 lot and a lot closer to the DISC building. No one wants to put up with walking that far just to get to their car when such an easy solution is very much possible.
It should be under the jurisdiction of Millikin to get a crosswalk painted near school sponsored buildings, right? Then why hasn’t it been done yet? With how old this school is, many would think that these factors were put into consideration and properly dealt with by now. Why is this an issue we should even have to consider making a petition to solve?
While the majority of upperclassmen don’t have to worry about this issue, freshmen and the RAs (the remaining portion of upperclassmen) who live in these dorm buildings do. A portion of students should not have to contend with this issue when the rest of the dorm residents who live at Dolson have crosswalks and therefore don’t have that issue to deal with.
Again, the solution is incredibly simple. Just a little paint, and maybe even a sign can go a long way towards reducing the chances of an accident. Decatur drivers are not kind to pedestrians. I’ve learned that within mere weeks of being on campus. Thinking about the long-term effects of the attitudes of the drivers around here, something to make them more aware of pedestrians in the area should be put in place.
Is it wrong to want the bare minimum safety measures for those who have to cross the street in that direction? Do we really have to make a petition to deal with this issue?
