Tennessee Tech Officials urging students and drivers to remain alert as pedestrian traffic returns to campus for the return to class.
Tennessee Tech Chief Safety Officer Bob Crabtree said Thursday’s start of the school year brings a significant increase in students navigating campus functions and learning new routes.
“Of course, we’re making a push to maybe stay off your phone and look for the walks to talk and that kind of thing, and as simple as that sounds, I mean, we all do it, right?” Crabtree said. “We’re all on our phones, and so it’s obviously a priority.”
Crabtree said while all campus crossings are a concern, the intersections of Willow Avenue and 12th Street see faster traffic while Dixie Avenue experiences the highest volume of foot traffic. Crabtree said pedestrians often fail to follow signage or use the manual crosswalk signals that indicate when it is safe to walk.
“I you know, we all do it, you’re walking along the the walkway or sidewalks, you’re on your phone, maybe checking email or or doing what have you, and then you go ahead and cross not paying attention, even though you’re using those crosswalks, we still want them to pay attention to traffic and and their surroundings,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree said drivers are also contributing to safety risks by exceeding the 15-mile-per-hour campus speed limit and engaging in distracted driving. Crabtree said motorists must be conscious of their surroundings and prepared for the possibility of a student accidentally stepping into the roadway.
“Well, obviously, they need to slow down as they’re getting close to that, but they need to come to a complete stop,” Crabtree said. “And you know, again, I would submit that you know, anybody on campus here, just not just when they’re getting around a crosswalk, but just in general, they really need to be paying attention to pedestrian traffic just in case somebody does step out or accidentally gets out in the road.”
Crabtree said the first few weeks of the semester are particularly challenging because new students and families are often focused on reading street signs or locating specific buildings. Crabtree said this lack of familiarity with the environment can lead both drivers and walkers to overlook the traffic patterns around them.
“It’s like basically moving to a new town or a new city for most people, so yeah, finding those traffic patterns or finding their way or trying to you know, they may be reading street signs or trying to find a certain building and and again, not paying attention to traffic or pedestrians like they should,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree said pedestrians should consider wearing high-visibility or bright clothing when walking on campus at night to help drivers see them. Crabtree said using the designated, well-lit crosswalks is essential for safety during hours of reduced visibility.
“If you’re a driver, pay attention to the pedestrian traffic while obeying you know, street signs, you know, speed limit, red light, etc,” Crabtree said. “And same thing for the pedestrian, you know, be conscious of those crosswalks, use those crosswalks, right?”
Crabtree said the most impactful change anyone on campus can make is to wait until they reach their destination before checking their phones.
“I think that’s the one thing that we can all do better, especially here on campus or any campus, is try to stay out of that phone maybe till where we’re where we need to be or in a safer area to use it,” Crabtree said.
