BY CHRIS WILSON // DEC. 5, 2011 //

The speed limit may be 15 mph on campus, but that’s nowhere near enough for some people. Public Safety has received several reports this semester of vehicles failing to fully stop at stop signs and pedestrians almost being hit.

Junior health major Greg Kirschner has noted that the majority of these speeding incidents occur at night. “During the day, when class is in session, students comply more,” he said.

New signage by the four-way stop signs on Blue Jay Way call attenton to the steep price for failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Another likely cause of the problem is the scarcity of speed limit signs on campus. Across campus, there are only a few 5 mph signs near pedestrian crossways, and just one sign—near the four-way intersection—denoting the campus-wide speed limit of 15 mph.

In an effort to get more drivers to obey the rules, Public Safety has adopted a more aggressive approach. During high-peak traffic hours, which the department describes as 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., an officer is positioned on the four-way intersection of Atherton Street and Blue Jay Way to assist pedestrians crossing and to make sure all vehicles come to a complete stop before proceeding. Failure to obey the posted stop signs will result in a $100 citation, according to new signage this semester.

Despite the increased presence and new signs, junior communication major Mike Manor believes Public Safety “has no real method of stopping speeders,” since the officer at the four-way intersection is often just standing there. However, according to Chief Brian Greeley, more than 100 cars have been stopped this semester and received either a written citation or a verbal warning.

Nonetheless, some students want to see even more action taken against over-aggressive drivers. Freshman nursing major Jenny Fallon said Public Safety has done a good job “for the most part….But I still see some cars speeding on campus.”