Videos by Nichole Cartmell and MU Operations
Photo by Shane Epping
When classes are in session, students make thousands of trips on foot from the East Campus neighborhood across College Avenue to the campus. Traversing the four-lane thoroughfare was sometimes a dangerous task. But starting in fall 2015, a new barrier on College Avenue spanning Rosemary, Wilson and Bouchelle streets makes crossing much safer by funneling pedestrians through two new crosswalks with lights that stop traffic. The roughly 5-foot 6-inch barrier of concrete topped by metal fencing boasts MU logos and simulated stone facing. At multiple points on College Avenue, the city has installed additional H.A.W.K (High-intensity Activated crossWalk) pedestrian crossings, which have been shown to decrease pedestrian accidents.
Best Practices
We’ve all seen or committed one of the following offenses on Mizzou’s campus:
- The pedestrian in a hurry darting in front of a moving vehicle.
- The distracted texter obliviously meandering into the street.
- The Frogger-inspired daredevil sprinting across four lanes on a busy road.
- The road-hogging driver refusing to stop for pedestrians.
- The clueless motorist blocking the crosswalk.
Don’t be one of these people, Tigers. Poor street-crossing etiquette isn’t just annoying; it’s dangerous. Every year people walking around Mizzou get hurt in avoidable encounters with cars, buses, bicycles and other vehicles.
