Because of accidents involving pedestrians along Emmet Street, University officials have elected to embed high-tech LED lights -- similar to those used on airport runways -- into the road to provide a safer crosswalk. Mark Fletcher, chair of the University's Safety and General Security Committee, said he hopes these lights will help increase driver and pedestrian awareness.
Within the past year, University Police, in conjunction with the City of Charlottesville, conducted a joint traffic education study that recognized a light deficiency on the corner of Emmet Street and Sprigg Lane, according to University Police Lieut. Melissa Fielding. A large tree on the corner of the intersection creates an overcast, which leads to weak lighting, Fielding added.
As a result of these findings, Fletcher and other University officials began a search to determine a safe solution. After exploring several different technologies, they decided embedding LED lights across Emmet Street would be the best way to increase awareness.
The new system will allow pedestrians to press a button that will activate the lights, which should send a "very strong visible signal" that approaching vehicles need to slow down, Fletcher said. Although the solution is not inexpensive -- the estimated cost is $40,000 for the installation of LED lights at the Sprigg Lane and Emmett Street intersection -- it should help reduce accidents, he added.
The lights will be installed next week, serving as a trial to see if the technology is worth implementing in other intersections on Grounds that have proven to be dangerous for pedestrians. Officials determined that the Emmet Street and Sprigg Lane intersection would provide the best trial situation because of the "entrance mentality" of vehicles coming from Route 29 and the Route 250 Bypass onto Grounds, according to Fletcher.
"It is difficult for someone outside of the University community to know where they are," Fletcher said. "Around most schools you slow down, [but] it's not just a quiet little campus that is totally closed. There are more public streets."
Fielding noted that the streets on and around Grounds are often busy and that there needs to be "an unspoken communication" between drivers and pedestrians. Fletcher said technologies such as iPods and cell phones can decrease both pedestrian and driver awareness, adding that people "are just not paying attention" and need to recognize they are responsible for their own safety.
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