Alicia Meehan, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
Over the summer, Berry installed new traffic lights on the crosswalk through the roundabout located in front of Hermann. The lights are designed to signal to drivers that pedestrians are about to cross over the circle by using motion detection.
Berry first redesigned the center of the roundabout in 2015, which included the flagpole and street lights meant to allow pedestrians to more easily walk through the circular traffic. Before the update, the precautions only included a “yield to pedestrians” sign.
According to Ryan Chesley, chief of campus police, the idea to revamp the traffic circle was inspired by another campus’ crosswalk lights for their student pedestrian population.
Sophomore Quinn Larkworthy said that while she hasn’t walked much this year, as a driver, she has noticed the walkways are working well.
Although there have not been any accidents since the motion-detecting lights’ installation, Chesley said that there have been some technical issues.
“There have been some intermittent functionality problems,” Chesley said. “It has a lot to do with it being installed on a traffic circle, while the sensors are designed for a 90-degree angle approach by cars.”
The crosswalk lights alert drivers of pedestrians through the use of motion detectors.
Sophomore Anna Gorman said that throughout her entire freshman year, the pre-existing traffic lights never turned on. In December 2024, a student riding on a scooter was hit by a car at the roundabout and broke her leg. Gorman said that she felt the administration did not care about maintaining the walkway lights until the accident happened.
“It’s very insulting because if the lights had worked, it probably would have lowered the chance of [her] getting hit,” Gorman said.
Gorman said that while she appreciates the lights being there, she has concerns about why they weren’t working in the first place. She also said the lights are not a final solution to protect pedestrians at the roundabout.
“[Is Berry] going to reinforce the speed limit?” Gorman said. “[The lights] don’t always work, especially at night, which is when drivers don’t expect people to be walking, so they speed through.”
Gorman said that she has issues with the lights due to her short stature, as the lights tend to not detect her at the crossing.
“Nobody can see me, and if a car were to come, they probably won’t see me until their headlights hit me,” Gorman said. “And the roundabout is curved, so visibility is a really big issue.”
Another recent update to campus includes an increase in handicap and faculty/staff parking spaces. Chesley put the new spaces behind the Cage Center and in the Moon parking lot because he saw a rising need for them.
“Because of our student and our visiting population, we have an increased number of handicap needs across the campus in general,” Chesley said. “So, we’ve made efforts for a couple of different places.”
Chesley also said that new faculty/staff spots behind the Cage are necessary because academic classes now take place there. Professors who teach classes at the Cage need parking set aside for them, as students take up most parking there.
Chesley said that campus police are always reviewing safety on campus and deciding what needs to be replaced. While there are no big installments on the horizon for Berry, they are always installing new lighting and cameras around campus. Chesley also said that crosswalk maintenance and painting happen continuously.
“I’d like to give out a reminder to everybody that it is a constant, ongoing evaluation process, and if people have specific concerns or areas that they think they need addressed, please let us know so we can audit, gather data and make decisions,” Chesley said.