Tennessee Tech reinforcing safety regulations for scooters and bicycles to ensure the protection of both riders and pedestrians across campus.
Chief Safety Officer Bob Crabtree said the university issued the reminder as part of ongoing efforts to monitor the use of these devices. Crabtree said the school wants to maintain a secure environment for everyone as students navigate the grounds.
“Anytime you have devices like that around campus, it’s always going to be a concern for safety for the people riding them as well as as well as other people, pedestrians, or students, whoever, so nothing crazy, just sent out a reminder because we’re monitoring it and wanting to just keep everybody safe,” Crabtree said.
The notice also includes a reminder that such devices cannot be used inside. Riders are required to follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles when traveling on campus roadways.
Crabtree said this includes stopping at all crosswalks and obeying traffic signals.
“They’ve got to stop at crosswalks just like a vehicle would, those kind of things, and if they’re using them around campus on sidewalks, they’ve got to basically go the pedestrian speed and be conscious of pedestrians on sidewalks and in crosswalks,” Crabtree said.
University officials and student affairs staff are currently focusing on education by issuing safety warnings to those found in violation of the rules. Crabtree said the current approach involves stopping individuals to discuss why they need to slow down or follow the rules of the road.
“If we’re catching them doing it, and that’s not just us but people in student affairs, we’re just basically giving them safety warnings, telling them why we’re wanting them to slow down and why we’re wanting them to obey the rules of the road, those kind of things,” Crabtree said. “Right now we’re just monitoring it, watching, if we see somebody in violation, we’ll stop them and talk to them about it, that’s what we’re doing as of now.”
High-traffic areas like the University Center and the cafeteria are specific points of interest due to the concentration of people at certain times of the day. Crabtree said students who bring their devices inside buildings must ensure they do not block pedestrian traffic flow or impede entrances.
“We’d ask them to get with their professors or maybe an office setting, get permission to keep them inside the classroom or inside an office area, that kind of thing,” Crabtree said.
The university is utilizing public service announcements to balance the convenience of these transportation methods with the necessity of campus safety. Crabtree said while most students are operating the devices correctly, staff still find it necessary to intervene occasionally.
“For the most part, people are doing pretty good, but we’re still having to talk to some from time to time, of course, because it is a good convenient mode for students, and we certainly understand that,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree said riders should stay to the right side of the road and remain aware of their surroundings at all times.
