Anna Gorman, Campus Carrier staff writer

Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier news editor

In light of a recent pedestrian-vehicle accident in the roundabout, concerns regarding pedestrian safety have arisen. Campus Police Chief Ryan Chesley said there have been between 74 and 76 motor vehicle accidents this year, but only a few of those involved pedestrians, and a majority of the motor vehicle accidents are parking lot fender-benders.

“It’s actually very rare that we have a pedestrian-vehicle-type accident,” Chesley said. “Maybe three or four a year.”

Typically, when motor vehicle accidents occur, the Berry College Police Department (BCPD) first assesses for injuries and a report is written, but because Berry College is private property, some laws are different.

“If you had two vehicles on [Opportunity Drive], you’re not going to have a citation for following too close,” Chelsey said. “Those laws aren’t enforceable on private property.”

Currently, measures are being taken to reduce the number of accidents that occur on campus, such as repainting crosswalks and scheduling the annual lighting review with the Student Governance Association (SGA).

“Starting over [winter break], we’ll start repainting and marking all of our crosswalks,” Chesley said. “My staff has actually gone through the campus and audited a couple of places where we don’t currently have painted crosswalks to try to get to get those marked in the roadway.”

According to Chesley, officers do annual lighting walkthroughs with SGA to ensure the streets and sidewalks are properly lit when it is dark and to make sure there the amount of lighting doesn’t hinder the campus’s natural beauty.

“Part of Berry’s aesthetic appeal is that we try to keep it as natural and uncorrupted [of an] environment as we can,” Chesley said. “The more lighting you add to that, the more you [detract] from that aesthetic. So, I think it’s always a balance between adequate lighting and finding ways to make sure things are adequately lit versus putting everything under 24-hour fluorescents.”

Dean of Students Lindsey Taylor said these annual lighting walkthroughs are typically done at the darkest point of the year, and most improvements stem from these walkthroughs.

“For example, [on the] road between Ladd and the cottages, all the lights were moved to the opposite side of the walkway,” Taylor said. 

Other improvements have been made to make the campus more walkable, such as turning the road between Evans and McAllister into a walking path and pushing vehicles away from the center of campus.

“We pushed vehicles more on the perimeter, which has honestly helped,” Taylor said. “Students don’t always like that. It’s not always convenient, but that has definitely helped, and that was by design.”

Chesley and Taylor said pedestrian lighting at the roundabout is currently being looked at by facilities.

“We’ve been caught in a constant conversation around the roundabout,” Taylor said. “Those lights get fixed, and they break, and they get fixed and they break. That is a constant conversation of what is the correct lighting there.”

Chesley advises pedestrians to stop and take note of the situation on the road before crossing, and that drivers should drive at reasonable speeds, especially in heavily populated areas such as Opportunity Drive. Cyclists and scooters should dismount their vehicles before crossing the road to avoid accidents.

“If you’re the one on that scooter, you still have a certain amount of personal responsibility to what’s going around, no matter what’s legal or not legal, or what you think is right or wrong,” Chesley said. “You’re responsible for your actions and behavior on that device. It means that you have to be aware of the other vehicles and pedestrians around you. [You] can’t assume everybody’s paying attention. If you’re on a scooter and you’re going at an elevated speed, you [have got] to pay extra attention, because you’re going faster, and things happen faster.”

Currently, the conversation regarding scooters is mixed.

“On the one hand, they’re a great way to get around,” Taylor said. “On the other hand, how are they being stored? How are they being parked? How are they integrating with traffic? If you go by the law, [scooters and bikes] are not supposed to be on walkways, and I worry about students with mobility issues or sight issues in that regard. It’s complicated, and I’m not quite sure I’m ready to say where I fall, but I’m definitely building out my pro-con list, and I don’t think it necessarily needs to be, or should be, all or nothing.”

Taylor said students, faculty and staff can email the Dean of Students’ email address, talk with campus police or go through the campus complaint system if they have any safety concerns.

“The way I always appreciate learning is through the SGA meetings,” Taylor said. “When something is brought up at SGA, I get to hear from multiple voices a lot of times, so it gives me a better context. I try not to speak a lot at [SGA meetings], because it’s not my time. It’s time for students, but if a student brings a concern, I can grab them at the end of the meeting and get some more information. So SGA is also a great way to voice those concerns as well.” 

Chesley said the most important thing a driver and pedestrian can do to prevent a possible accident is to pay attention.

“Just being a responsible adult, I really don’t think it’s complicated,” Chesley said. “I think it’s recognizing you have a responsibility for your safety and the safety of everybody around you. If everybody did what they’re supposed to do and use a little bit of common sense, I think that’s really all we need.”