Local Highway Crossing Safer for Pedestrians
Crossing the state highway in front of MHC is less daunting thanks to revamped pedestrian crosswalks that are now highlighted by pavement markings and street lighting.
Traffic along Massachusetts 116 between Morgan and Park streets—the south and north ends of campus—is calmer due to blinking yellow lights installed this winter in the pavement of new granite-and-brick crosswalks and activated when pedestrians press a button at roadside posts.
“Although some of our Five College neighbors have had serious injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians, so far we have been fortunate that no one has been seriously injured,” said John Bryant, director of facilities planning and management at MHC. Still, in the past two years, one MHC employee and a student were hit by vehicles and sent to the hospital.
A study performed by civil engineers found 3,900 pedestrian crossings each day across Route 116 when the college is in session. Every hour, 800 to 1,200 vehicles pass in front of the college, at an average speed of 40 miles per hour.
Similar to the crosswalks installed a few years ago on 116 in front of Amherst College, the textured stone, blinking lights, pavement reflectors, and streetlights on each side of the five crosswalks are meant to alert drivers that they’re entering a pedestrian zone, said Bryant.
The cost of the project for the college, which took eighteen months to coordinate with the Massachusetts Highway Department and several local agencies, was $650,000.—M.H.B
Photo by Paul Schnaittacher
Lynne Stevens '89, Martha Papa Rein '89 : Student seriouly hurt in 1988
05/05/2008, at 15:09 [ Reply ]
We take issue with John Bryant's statement, "... so far we have been fortunate that no one has been seriously injured." We beg to differ!
In November 1988, during my senior year, I (Lynne Stevens) was crossing Route 116 at the junction of Faculty Lane and College Street to Abbey Hall. While crossing the street, I was hit by two vehicles and gravely injured. I was hit first in the southbound lane (by an elderly driver who never saw me and didn't slow down) and again by a northbound driver after I was thrown into her lane. I was transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for immediate surgery to repair serious injuries -- internal and external (splenectomy, ruptured colon, two pelvic fractures, a concussion, eye nerve damage, severe hematoma in left hip/leg at point of impact, and several road burns, cuts, and bruises). I was hospitalized for two weeks, after which time I recuperated at home for eight weeks. I was unable to return to campus and resume my normal student routine until February 1989.
To this day, I still suffer from physical consequences related to this accident, particularly effects of a fractured pelvis and remaining hematoma in my left hip and leg.
In the spring of 1989, Martha Papa Rein '89, who was walking with me and witnessed my accident, met with and wrote to College authorities, as well as town and state traffic departments, outlined the details of the accident, and requested that traffic lights be installed along Route 116 in front of the College to ensure the future safety of students crossing the road. Sadly, her efforts were unsuccessful.
While we are both glad to hear that lighted pedestrian crosswalks have now been installed on College Street, we wish such work had been done 20 years ago. We felt compelled to inform Mr. Bryant, and remind the College, that someone WAS seriously injured as a result of poor lighting and unsafe crossing conditions.
Sincerely yours,
Lynne Marie Stevens '89
Haverhill, MA
Martha Papa Rein '89
Winsted, CT
Kelly Lewis '89 :
05/06/2008, at 20:01 [ Reply ]
I remember hearing of Stevens' injury - and I also remember being nearly hit myself at the crosswalk at Pearsons. I was crossing when I had the walk sign, and a truck ran the light, coming only within a few feet of hitting me. I'm betting that there are MANY former (and current) students who could share similar stories - at the time we had no idea that there was anything we could actually do about this situation.