On Sept. 12, a Saint Louis University student was crossing the Grand Boulevard crosswalk when she was struck by a Jeep Wrangler and sustained minor injuries. The accident has raised safety concerns for students crossing intersections on campus.
Grand Boulevard was named the most dangerous corridor for people walking in 2023 for the fourth year in a row in the City of St. Louis. Students are calling on SLU to take action and make the crosswalks safer for crossing.
“This is not a hidden issue,” said Enrique Riojas, president of SLU On The Move, an advocacy group for transportation equity. “We all know that it exists, and it’s already claimed lives, and it’s already caused a lot of issues, so it’s a shame that it hasn’t been dealt with in any meaningful way.”
Riojas said things such as painting the lines in the streets, adding bollards to make drivers slow down on turns, and most importantly, fixing the timing system on the Grand crosswalk contribute to safety.
“The way that it works on Grand is that you touch the button, and it immediately starts the process of going from green to yellow to red so you can cross. That usually works, except during rush hour, because it doesn’t matter how many students are pressing the button, it could be one student, and all of the traffic has to stop for that one student,” Riojas said.
The system in place has presented issues during rush hour, such as increased cases of road rage.
“Drivers get angry, they start honking, they start crawling into the crosswalk,” Riojas said. “People get hurt, or they speed through for one student, it is just not fair.”
Riojas suggested that the timing at Grand should be timed like a majority of streetlights in the St. Louis area.
Charles Turnell, a sophomore, also said that the sequencing between the traffic lights and the crossing indicators could be causing the problem and could be addressed together by SLU’s Department of Public Safety and St. Louis County police to enforce speeding laws.
Paige Bostic, a junior biology major, said that having a crossing guard would also be a good addition.
“I have seen plenty of people almost get hit [by a car], and one person get hit,” Bostic said. “When it is happening, you are thinking ‘Oh my God. Okay, is she alive? She is alive, we keep moving.’”
Other students also worry about cars posing a threat to students crossing the intersections on campus.
“I am nervous that cars are going to keep running [lights] because I see them run the red lights at Grand every day,” said Addy Aque, a sophomore and computer engineering major. “I’ve seen cars stop where people are walking because they did not see them.”
However, some students do not think that there is much more SLU can do.
“SLU has done a lot to keep the crosswalk safe, especially with the bollards,” said Anna Brand, a sophomore occupational science major. “But there are certain asshole drivers you can’t control.”
Michael Brief, a freshman and flight science major, says he remains safe at crosswalks by relying on his own awareness while waiting at intersections.
“[Crossing the crosswalks] doesn’t make me too scared, I am looking out for myself,” Brief said. “I look both ways before I cross, so the chances of me getting hit by a car are zero. So, I am not worried about it.”
Turnell also emphasizes hypervigilance and to not “just assume that people are going to stop for you because there are always some crazy drivers.”
As winter in St. Louis ushers in early evenings and potential weather hazards, staying aware of your surroundings may be best policy as students wait to see if additional safety measures will be implemented by SLU or DPS at crosswalks and intersections on campus.
