LAFAYETTE, La. — As students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette return to campus for a new school year, many are encountering an ongoing safety issue: pedestrian hazards along busy streets near campus.
“It gets a little crazy around noon-ish,” said Natalie Romero, a fourth-year UL student, describing the midday surge in traffic and foot activity at campus crosswalks. “Just a lot of cars, a lot of people using the crosswalks and stuff.”
A recent study conducted by the university found an average of about 500 midblock crossings occur every weekday on Johnston Street, a major road bordering campus.
James Fairchild, a second-year UL student, said some students don’t always use the designated crosswalks. “I think the biggest problem is just people not paying attention when they’re crossing the street, especially if they’re not using the crosswalks,” Fairchild said.
During busier periods, Fairchild added, more pedestrians do opt for crosswalks. “If it’s a busy time, lots of cars—people use the crosswalks, that’s the only way you’re going to get across. But if it’s not the middle of the day, they just cross whenever they want a lot of the times. And I guess it’s more efficient, feels a little bit faster—you don’t have to wait at a light.”
Officials say drivers and pedestrians share responsibility for keeping campus safe.
“We know it’s just general pedestrian behavior to just take the shortest route, the shortest distance between two points,” said Ashley Moran, MPO Manager of Policy and Planning for the Acadiana Planning Commission. “It’s just more difficult for a driver to react when they are experiencing a situation where they don’t expect to see a pedestrian, as opposed to a situation at a marked crosswalk where they do expect to see a pedestrian.”
Moran emphasized the need for both drivers and pedestrians to be vigilant and considerate. “Don’t dehumanize when you’re behind the wheel of a car, the other people out on the roadway,” she said. “They’re just trying to get to where they’re going just like you will be at the end of your journey in your vehicle.”
As campus activity ramps up, officials urge everyone to put safety first—both on foot and behind the wheel.
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