Safety concerns addressed
The university has recently installed metal posts on both sides of the two speed bumps outside of Thayer Hall. An editorial from the Sept. 12 issue of the Yellow Jacket suggested just that. The speed bumps are now part of the solution that became part of a potential problem.
As stated in the previous editorial, the speed bumps may have been placed due to an incident in which a student hit Thayer Hall after losing control of their vehicle. The speed bumps seemed like a logical solution to slow vehicles down in that area.
The largest problem with the addition of the speed bumps was that the sidewalk next to the street was still open, so many students decided to drive on the sidewalk to avoid the speed bumps. This obviously created a hazard because the sidewalk is for pedestrians, not vehicles.
While the current posts have bright reflective tape on them, the university should consider making larger posts so that they are easier to see, especially at night. In the event that one of the posts was hit, it would prevent vehicles from traveling on the sidewalk again.
This improvement, along with the university entering into an agreement with the borough to take control of maintenance of the parks on campus, should lead to improved safety for students traveling to and from classes.