The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Tragedy stresses the importance of safety

More than three years after Anne Coleman was struck and killed while riding her bicycle through a crosswalk near the arena, the memories surrounding the following traffic safety campaign have started to fade.

Shortly after the 26-year-old dental hygiene student was killed, a student organization called Advocates for Crosswalk and Traffic Safety was founded, which pressured administrators to reduce the speed limit on campus from 25 mph to 20 mph.

Furthermore, as a promise to prevent similar tragedies, trees and shrubs that blocked motorists' views were removed. Speeding fines were increased and new traffic signs were posted, reminding bicyclists to walk through crosswalks.

But Todd Sigler, director of the Department of Public Safety, said despite the campaign, on any given day he can stand at a crosswalk and watch dozens of bicyclists dart through traffic, while motorists talk on cell phones, and pedestrians step onto roadways with their heads down, listening to music.

"I was at that call," Sigler said. "I saw that unfortunate situation, and it would be absolutely horrible to have a tragedy like that and not use the lessons learned to send a positive message."

According to statistics from the Department of Public Safety, there were no pedestrian-vehicle accidents in 2003, but there have been two so far this year. Additionally, there were two bicycle-vehicle accidents last year, as well as two so far for 2004.

"You might look at that and say, 'Wow, that's not a lot," Sigler said. "But all it took was one time for Anne."

However, he said the department is more concerned with the number of "near misses." Sigler said he frequently gets calls or comments from the public about cars speeding through crosswalks or pedestrians and bicyclists disregarding motorists.

Besi Liti, a junior in physiology from Chicago, said she knows what it is like from two perspectives - as a motorist and a pedestrian.

"Sometimes it's scary," Liti said. "In the mornings, you get the people flying through crosswalks because they are late for class or work. I have to stop and make sure I look both ways.

"But no matter what, I think it is the responsibility of the driver to slow down. I know that when I drive, I am really paranoid about bikers. I'm scared that I won't see them."

Sigler said if worse comes to worse, he will be forced to increase crosswalk patrols, but he would rather avoid giving someone a $50 speeding ticket or $35 ticket for failure to walk a bike through a crosswalk.

"It's one of those things where the bicyclists get mad at the motorists and the motorists get mad at the bicyclists," Sigler said. "But it's not about blame, it's about sharing responsibility. Hopefully, we won't be forced to hand out more tickets. We want this to be something folks take care of themselves."

 

 

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