Old Omen crosswalk needs serious overhaul for student’s safety

The Old Omen crosswalk from The Cambridge to the University might just be the most dangerous trip a student will ever make – and they do it every day.

But while Old Omen is not a pedestrian friendly street, the city of Tyler has several things they can do about it.

Raised Crosswalks

The city of Bellevue, Washington realized the danger on a crosswalk near an elementary school. Their solution: instead of having a normal, flat crosswalk, the city installed a raised “speed bump” style crosswalk on the road.

Measured speed limits on the road fell from 29 to 26 miles per hour. The city also posted “raised crosswalk” signs with a 15 mile per hour advisory to drivers.

The cost for each crosswalk overhaul was $15,000 according to a report from walkinginfo.org. Flashing sidewalks.

Embedded flashing lights are popping up in sidewalks across the country. When a pedestrian wishes to cross the road, they simply stand on a sensor pad initiating flashing lights buried in the road.

A report from the university of North Carolina states, “The flashing crosswalk had small positive effects on reducing vehicle speeds, increasing vehicle yielding to pedestrians, and reducing pedestrian - motor vehicle conflicts.”

The city of Grapevine in Northeast Tarrant County has installed such devices in their Main Street district.

This is a more expensive street project than merely a raised sidewalk, but the next solution is the cheapest of all.

Reduce the speed limit

The simplest solution for city managers would be a simple reduction in speed. Changing the speed limit from the current 40 miles per hour to 25 near the crosswalk could dramatically reduce chances of an accident.

This would cost the city the least and would do more to prevent accidents.

And it all comes down to budget in a time when the economy is hurting not only average Americans but small towns.

However, there is no price for a human life.

In 2005, almost 5,000 pedestrians died, and 64,000 were injured according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A student hit by a car would be a tragedy. Imagine having to tell the parents of such student that the city could not afford to make the crosswalk safer for the hundreds of students who cross each day.

Even worse, imagine telling the parents that the city could afford improvements – but hesitated to do so.

City of Tyler officials need to act now to improve crosswalk safety before someone gets seriously injured.

By Allen Arrick Editor in Chief