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UTPA students continue to grow weary of supposedly dangerous crosswalks leading to the university. But it could be that they can help avoid problems by paying better attention while crossing.
Beginning in January 2009 and up until December a total of five accidents occurred on campus, as reported by the UTPA Police Department. Reports from the City of Edinburg Police Department cite three accidents transpiring in 2009.
Edinburg PD has reported only one this year and it did not happen directly around the campus.
On Jan. 19, at the intersection of Sugar and University Drive, a vehicle struck a newspaper vendor as he crossed the road, says James Loya, assistant chief of police for the university. However, there were extenuating circumstances.
“The reporting officer stated that he was highly intoxicated at the time of the accident,” Loya explained. “He was conscious on the officer’s arrival and transported to Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen with a possible broken nose.”
In 2009, however, Edinburg PD reported two accidents off campus and only one immediately surrounding UTPA.
“Of the three that were reported, only one happened at a crosswalk,” Loya mentioned.
In February a male student cyclist was struck in the Wal-Mart parking lot by a female driver backing out of a parking space. The cyclist did not require medical attention.
In September a male student cyclist was almost struck by a vehicle driven by a female driver in the area of 1400 W. Schunior, past the Wellness and Recreation Sports Complex. The cyclist managed to jump off his bike and avoid contact with the vehicle before collision. An information report was documented due to no vehicle/pedestrian contact.
At the crosswalk at McIntyre and South Sugar Road, a male driver struck a female pedestrian in early October last year.
“The data shows only one crosswalk accident for 2009 and one more 2010,” Loya explained. “Of course there is concern any time there are pedestrians getting struck, but the bottom line is that the accidents we investigated were minor.”
Mainly, the incidents were due to pedestrians on the phone or being caught in driver’s blind spots, Loya continued.
Of the accidents that have occurred on campus, all were in parking lots. Only one required medical attention, a female cyclist who complained of pain to her hands and knees. In this particular case, she was at fault for failing to yield the right of way, Loya noted.
The UTPA chief of police suggested that accidents could be a two-way street, no pun intended.
“I would say with the amount of traffic congestion we have here, pedestrian safety is a huge concern,” Chief of Police Roger Stearns stated. “But I would like to see a greater awareness by the drivers for pedestrians and the same by pedestrians for drivers.”
As the university continues to grow so does the need for pedestrians and drivers to be aware of each other and considerate, Stearns continued.
Crosswalks are provided around the perimeter of the campus including streets: Sugar, Schunior, Van Week, 5th Street, Miguel A. Nevarez Drive, and University Drive.
“Sugar and Schunior, presumably, are the streets I get the most complaints about,” the chief noted. “When making my rounds or even talking with staff members from the PD, it’s evident that there’s a large number of students and faculty that cross the roadways wherever they please.”
Fortunately, Stearns continued, this carelessness has not resulted in any accidents yet.
“But given the amount of population we have here, it is only an amount of time,” he stressed. “And there is absolutely nothing other than encouraging and making people aware that the police department can do.”
The department has debated issuing jaywalking citations, but Stearns and Loya prefer not take that route.
“I would prefer to have voluntary compliance,” he stated.
The PD and university, in partnership with the City of Edinburg, have taken extra precautionary measures by increasing safety around the most heavily used crosswalk, near the Wellness and Recreation Complex. Other efforts include redesigning parking lots C and C-1 between Sugar and Schunior while also adding signs with the hopes of increasing awareness.
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