The Marshall Police Department is working alongside the Huntington Police Department and the Department of Highways to improve pedestrian safety across campus following a student being hit on the crosswalk of 3rd Ave. on Feb. 4.
Pedestrian safety has become a top priority on campus following the accident.
According to a report from the Huntington Police Department, the driver was cited for failing to yield to the pedestrian, but the pedestrian was found not to be at fault.
There are no current updates on the condition of the student following the accident. The Huntington Police Department is investigating the situation.
“We can never ensure accidents won’t happen, that’s why they are called accidents,” said Chief Terry, director of public safety at Marshall. “We can take action to mitigate it, and we have mitigated it.”
A speed study conducted by a committee from the Marshall Police Department, working with the Department of Highways, resulted in the lowering of the speed limit surrounding campus to 25 mph.
The Marshall Police Department has plans to move forward with the project and plans to reach out to the Department of Highways to see the status of the project.
There are seven initiatives that the Marshall Police Department will be looking into to further improve pedestrian safety.
Chief Terry said, “With the change in federal administration, we have to see if the grant funding is still there for the jobs.”
The Huntington Police Department has put out speed trailers across town and on campus.
The trailers provide data the department can use to help determine what changes need to be made to ensure students’ safety while crossing the street on campus.
A study conducted by the Huntington Police Department from Jan. 30 to Feb. 14 on 3rd and 5th Ave. found that on average 11,700 cars pass through and monitored the average speed.
The average speed on 3rd Ave. near 20th St. is 26.75 mph. In the 1600 block of 3rd Ave., the average speed is 28.3 mph, and on 5th Ave., it is also 28.3 mph.
The Huntington Police Department has placed signage in key areas and regularly conducts traffic enforcement on those areas around campus, according to Chief Terry.
As of now, 45.6% of The Huntington Police Department’s citations have been occurring near Marshall University.
“We need to emphasize it is an educational issue,” said Chief Terry. “Students have to push the button on the lights, so drivers know when someone stepped into the crosswalk, especially during the early morning and late hours.”
Chief Terry encouraged students and drivers to stay aware, “It’s both the pedestrian’s and the driver’s responsibility to be aware when they are making right-hand turns, or turning left onto 16th St. or 3rd Ave. We can’t stress enough to use the crosswalks.”
Ella Bumgardner can be contacted at [email protected].
