Traffic safety improvements were made around UF, but we must all do our part to stay safe
Over the past week, we’ve watched with excitement as students and faculty arrived on campus for the start of a new academic year. The enthusiastic vibe is undeniable: We are all ready to engage in teaching, learning, discovery, innovation and service!
The University of Florida is a beautiful place to learn, live and work. Over the summer, UF completed several major projects designed to create one of the most walkable, attractive campuses in the country. We want to point out some of the changes and encourage everyone — pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike — to do their part to make traveling to and around our campus safe for all.
The two new gateway entrances to UF — Newell Gateway and Northeast Entrance —have been designed as pedestrian and cyclist thoroughfares; the Northeast Entrance allows for limited car passenger drop off and permitted parking by Tigert and Criser halls. They are both integral elements in a move to make the interior of our campus more walkable and bicycle-friendly.
Other changes are the result of a cooperative working relationship between the university, UF Police Department, Gainesville Police Department and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), such as targeted speed enforcement on the roads around the campus.
FDOT’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Focused Initiative offers many excellent safety tips. And Nightlife Navigators, a student government agency, also works to promote travel safety and awareness; you can follow them on Instagram using the handle @nightlifenavigators.
New signals are in place in several locations that prioritize pedestrians; some signals have been timed to reduce speeds and conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Actions have been taken to make crosswalks more visible and new signage has been added. And more improvements are in the works, along with research by the UF Transportation Institute on next-generation technology such as smartphone apps that can increase safety using real-time data.
In transportation lingo, all these improvements are known as “complete street” adaptations. This language acknowledges that streets within and around our campus accommodate many different types of traffic — from pedestrians and bicyclists to scooters, motorcycles, private vehicles and buses. Quite simply, we are all in this together and we need to watch out for and be considerate of everyone with whom we share these roads.
With approximately 65,000 people visiting campus every day, we are literally a city within a city, full of traffic of all varieties. So, here is our plea to the community: Please be safe!
Wait for traffic to clear. Watch where you are going, whether traveling by foot or by vehicle. Follow traffic signs, signals and rules. Drivers, slow down and give pedestrians the right-of-way.
Let’s keep each other safe — it’s what Gators do!
Lauren Lemasters is the 2022-23 student body president at UF. Amanda Phalin is the chair of the UF Faculty Senate and a senior lecturer in the Warrington College of Business Management Department.
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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Lauren Lemasters and Amanda Phalin: Navigate UF campus roads safely
