By Jordan Heim—Students at Morningside College have noticed the new changes on Peters Avenue, the road that intersects the college’s campus. These new changes are in the form of two portable traffic signs that say, “state law, stop for pedestrians within crosswalk.”
Student government executive Paul Johnson, who serves as student advocate, was responsible for heading up the placement of the new signs. “As the student advocate, I get a lot of student concerns and suggestions every week, and one of them was complaining about how people drive too fast on Peters Avenue.”
Johnson met with Jim Cornelia, director of campus safety and security, to figure out what could be done to slow down traffic. It was determined that signs would be the most visually effective way of slowing down traffic. “The purpose of the new signs is to ensure that traffic is slowed down in front of the Olsen Center, which is probably the most busy area on campus. Student’s safety is our priority.”
The process after Johnson talked with Cornelia was fairly simple, Cornelia said, “I checked with the city and they had no problem with them. The college is responsible for moving the signs for snow removal.”
Johnson is proud to have been the one heading the new signs, “I’ve heard people talking about the signs in a lot of positive ways, I think it is good PR for Student Government.”
Since the placement of the signs it appears traffic has slowed down a lot. Many people who drive on Peters Avenue never realized there were flashing yellow lights in the boulevard near the crosswalks. The new signs are clearly being noticed.
With the traffic slowing down reaction from students remains mixed. Garrett Thomas. a junior business administration and religious studies major, thinks the signs are a, “fantastic ideas, but sometimes turning into and out of the roadman can be difficult with the sign there.”
Kari Miller, a junior counseling psychology major, agrees with Thomas, “the crosswalk sign needs to move by the entrance/exit by the Roadman parking lot.” She wonders, “Why they were needed in the first place?”
Tori Figge, a sophomore psychology major, likes the signs because of the need, “to have cars stop, because cars don’t stop for students in the crosswalk.”
Cornelia says the decision for why the signs are placed where they are is because the signs are able to cover three crosswalks and encourages students to talk with student government or his office about alternative placement options because the signs can be easily moved.
Johnson thinks as a college we are really blessed with having the ability to have a student government, “the voice of the students is being heard and respected.”
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