The Online Reflector

As the University of Indianapolis expands, efforts are being made to accommodate the growing population, not only for capacity,  but also for traffic needs.

As Hanna Avenue construction finally winds down, the benefits are already apparent. Traffic flows more smoothly, crosswalks are more prominently displayed and the stretch that runs through campus is an all-around safer route.

However, there are some simple things the campus community can keep in mind to make the traffic flow a little safer on campus for pedestrians, bikers and car riders alike.

The new street lamps on Hanna Avenue have been a wonderful asset to our school, but the new traffic lights seem more of a detriment. It is not that they are not needed, but that they are not used properly by those on foot. Cars at green lights end up having to stop, time and time again, for pedestrians who seem to think they have the right of way.

What is so confusing about walking when a flashing light blinks “walk” and waiting when a flashing light blinks “don’t walk”? It’s Traffic 101, friends. Maybe that should be added to the university course catalog.

Another prominent issue involves the bike lanes along Shelby Street and Madison Avenue. Seeing bike-only lanes close to campus is wonderful. Biking promotes good health, is environmentally friendly and is a great way to save money when gas is over $4 a gallon. But you know that.

The problem is that although bike lanes are clearly marked, I don’t often see bikers using them. In fact, quite often cars take up the entirety of these lanes, which are clearly too small to fit any size car, to make a turn. When did bike lanes and turn lanes become one and the same?

I have been honked at numerous times by drivers behind me as I waited patiently for the light to turn green and took my turn to make a right,  rather than go around the straight traffic and turn through the bike lane. This type of behavior surely discourages bikers and is dangerous to those who make the choice to ride their bicycle to campus anyway.

I hear a lot of groaning on campus about parking issues, but I do not seem to have many problems finding a parking spot on campus. The lot across Shelby Avenue next to the Music Annex building and Shelby Bowl, although a hike, seems always to have an adequate number of spots. And since the dip in the road has finally been filled, my car no longer bottoms out when entering and exiting.

However, two choices exist for walking to campus from this parking lot. You either can walk through the parking lot and alongside Shelby Street, a fairly busy road, to the sidewalk, which does not begin until you are almost to the light at Hanna Avenue and Shelby Street, or you can immediately cross four lanes of traffic with no crosswalk. There is no completely safe way for students to use.

Most of the people choose to cross the four lanes of traffic rather than deal with the inconvenience of going out of their way to the light. That makes sense though. I can attest to the fact that if you are in that parking lot, you usually are running too late to park anywhere closer and do not have time to go all the way to the light on your way to class.

Why not just add crosswalks when  parking lots are added? And when are there actually going to be new parking lots so we can stop parking in gravel?

As UIndy continues to grow, as this successful institution of higher education has increasingly done, traffic concerns are going to grow as well. There will be more cars,  more bikes, more pedestrians and less space for all of them. If we begin to draw attention to the smaller issues now, we can avoid dealing with them when they have become bigger issues.

Our campus is generally a safe place, thanks to all of those who work to make it that way.  The Hanna Avenue renovations were designed with everyone’s safety in mind. But when it comes to traffic concerns, there are small things each one of us can do to make getting from point A to point B on campus a better experience for everyone.