Due to concerns for student and faculty safety, the administration will install bollards, short metal poles, at driveway entrances to campus sidewalks.
The barriers are intended to make clear that vehicular access to the service drives are restricted to authorized personnel only, who will still be able to access the drives by driving around the poles. The entrances on Hillsdale Street and from the Dow Center are the primary concerns, said Director of Campus Security Bill Whorley.
Whorley explained that when Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers was acting as interim director of campus security, discussions began about the need for ways to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering campus sidewalks.
Both Whorley and Rogers stated that students weren’t necessarily the problem and most issues occur after hours. Cars will unknowingly enter the campus, not realizing the driveways were meant for campus vehicles, Whorley said.
There is, however, the occasional “rebellious student,” as Rogers refers to them, who will drive on campus for no particular reason other than to break rules.
Rogers pointed out that there is no signage to deter cars from using the driveways.
“I don’t think the barriers will be of much use during the day, but when you see this large yellow device that is lying flat in the middle of the sidewalk, you’re going to think twice about driving your car over it,” Whorley said.
The barriers, or bollards, will be yellow to prevent becoming a tripping hazard for pedestrians and to signify the restricted access of the driveways. Campus vehicles will be able to maneuver around the bollards.
Whorley and Rogers both emphasized the importance of these bollards for student safety.
Whorley said he doesn’t put a price on student safety, which is the goal of installing the barriers. He said he doesn’t want students to worry about cars on campus sidewalks.
“What’s the primary use for these walkways?” Whorley said. “A walkway.”
Because concrete doesn’t set properly in cold temperatures, Whorley said, the bollards will not be installed this semester. They are projected to be placed in the spring.
