A Lawrence student was involved in an accident on a College Avenue crosswalk last Thursday, in which she was struck by a car while on her bicycle. The student suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the car that struck the student did not see her in the crosswalk — or notice that the car in the next lane was slowing down. According to the police report released by the Appleton police department, the student did not stop or slow down. She was issued a written warning for sudden bicycle movement into traffic.
Temporary yellow signs were posted on campus earlier this week at all the College Avenue crosswalks, encouraging students to use caution when using the crosswalks and to walk their bikes across instead of riding.
Before this latest incident, the City of Appleton and Lawrence had already been discussing measures to increase crosswalk safety. Improvements have been proposed. Thus far, it is unclear if the incident will change the time frame for these measures to be implemented.
A current study by Visiting Professor of Education Robert Beck and Director of Research Administration William Skinner is investigating the logistics of crosswalk safety and possible systems to improve it, such as a pedestrian-operated stoplight, hopefully to be implemented by next summer.
“Safety on College Ave. is dependent on drivers adhering to regulations on adequate stopping distance,” said junior Emily Hamm, “but pedestrians also bear some responsibility. Even if one has right-of-way, it is still important to maintain a defensive attitude.”