KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A collaboration between Western Michigan University (WMU) and the city of Kalamazoo has led to the implementation of a tool that hopes to improve pedestrian safety on campus.
City officials say its Department of Public Services has put up concrete walls west of Howard Street and West Michigan Avenue in response to safety concerns.
“We stand with our students and have been working diligently to meet their needs for a safer, off-campus pedestrian community,” says Western Student Association Student Body President Cheng Kidd Sun. “These barriers are the first step to our long-term solutions of prioritizing the safety of our students as we continue working on a safer off-campus environment with continued motivation.”
We’re told the barriers are temporary and are meant to discourage people from entering the street without using a crosswalk, as well as put a stop to restricted left turns and ease traffic flow using narrower lanes.
The city says additional safety measures are being considered, such as:
- Adding more speed bumps and street lights.
- Erecting radar signs on Fraternity Village Drive.
- Clearing away vegetation near Fraternity Village Drive.
- Adding crosswalks on Fraternity Village Drive.
- Restriping Fraternity Village Drive.
- Implementing enlarged pedestrian signs.
