Robby Poffenberger | Assistant News Editor | @robby_poff
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The crosswalk between the south end of the LDS Institute parking lot and the front entrance of the Student Life and Wellness Center has been permanently closed.
A press release by Parking Services and campus police cited “safety concerns,” as the reason for the removal of the crosswalk. Pedestrians are being asked to use the existing crosswalks on the north and south ends of the library or the tunnel between the parking garage and the Institute parking lot.
UVU Public Relations Director Melinda Colton said the removal came based on a recommendation by UVU Police Chief John Brewer, who was unavailable for comment.
“That’s a blind corner, so that’s definitely a safety issue and that’s why they’ve eliminated it,” said Colton. “You have to be able to see both directions.”
She added that the removal is something campus police had been looking at “for a while.”
Maggie Chu, a former student who occasionally visits campus didn’t realize they had removed the crosswalk and said she will probably continue to cross there.
“It looks far away, I think it would be easier to just go straight and cross the road,” said Chu.
However, Kirk Wyckoff, who will be a junior this year, says he was aware they took the crosswalk away but crossed anyway. He believes many others will do the same.
“It’s kind of annoying,” Wyckoff said. “I would assume that most people using this parking lot are trying to use the (Student Life and Wellness Center) facility rather than go to the library, so they can chance it right here and hope there are no cars coming or walk all the way down (to the other crosswalk.) Nobody wants to walk that far.”
Wyckoff added that he doesn’t feel compelled to change his walking ways.
“I’ll definitely keep breaking the law,” Wyckoff said, chuckling.
John Brewer, the UVU Police Chief was unavailable for comment on whether people crossing at that site would be ticketed for jaywalking.
According to Colton, guardrails will soon be installed where the crosswalk used to be. Thus far, no signs have been posted to remind pedestrians to cross elsewhere.
A quick look through the Utah state driver’s handbook:
“If you want to cross a street between intersections where a traffic light or officer controls traffic, you may cross only in marked crosswalks.”
Not only are there no signal-controlled intersections adjacent to this area, there are no signals at all on Campus Drive, if I remember correctly. Therefor, it may still be completely legal to cross at this location — but pedestrians must yield to traffic, even if they’re already crossing.
That said, I expect campus police to ticket anyone even looking at the former-crosswalk, issue them a week-long trespass notice, and send them to the dean’s office.