By Sophia Scearce
It’s 9:00 a.m. The mid-morning traffic has hit its peak for the day, as cars whiz down Hildebrand Avenue unassumingly during their morning commute. At 9:15, a flustered student emerges from the City Vista apartment complex, running late for class.
As he approaches the road, he takes one look at the traffic and quickly launches himself off the curb. He dashes across the two-way, four-lane avenue when it is clear for this one second. Once he reaches the green lawns of Trinity’s campus, he hurries off, continuing about his daily routine without a second thought.
Everyday, students living in City Vista, located on the corner of Hildebrand and Devine, must cross the traffic bustling Hildebrand in order to get to classes. This section of Hildebrand is curvy and hilly, making it hard for drivers to see very far down the road. This seemingly short walk across Hildebrand to campus, however, has students taking two different routes: crossing at the newly installed crosswalk right at the intersection of Hildbrand and Devine, or jaywalking across the street further west down Hildebrand.
Trinity’s acquisition of City Vista Apartments last year has broadened the university’s housing options for upper-class students, and has provided students the opportunity to experience apartment-style living. However, with the benefits, it has also brought the increased necessity for student safety.
Trinity University Police Department anticipated that jaywalking would be an issue from the beginning. “Even before Trinity took over city Vista, the city had put up a sign that said no left turn; you couldn’t turn onto Divine,” said Trinity Police Chief Paul Chapa. “Now that we have a larger amount of foot traffic, it made sense to install a crosswalk.” And that was completed soon after Trinity students moved in City Vista last fall.
TUPD had hoped that the installation of the walking lights would push students to take the safer route when walking to class and noted that since its installation, “We have seen many students that are consciously choosing to utilize the crosswalk.” Although, Chapa acknowledged, TUPD is “not actively pursuing or monitoring the situation. We hope that students will make safe choices but realize that not all will decide to do so.”
Indeed, for some students, jaywalking appears to be the more appealing option. “I jaywalk across Hildebrand multiple times a day,” said Ty Kirby, a junior living in City Vista. “I see students jaywalking all the time and it honestly saves about 3-5 minutes of excess waiting and walking. Its efficient.”
Another City Vista resident, Alejandro Anzaldua, shared similar reasoning, even suggesting that if students “feel comfortable enough to do it, they should be allowed.” He, too, like Kirby, doesn’t like to walk to the crosswalk and wait for the walking signal, which he said would add 3 to 5 minutes to the trip.
While some City Vista residents choose to jaywalk, not all agree that time efficiency outweighs safety. Some students, like Christine Peterson, a senior City Vista resident, cite safety as one of their main reasons for preferring to use the crosswalk.
“I always go to the crosswalk because I'm a scaredy-cat,” not wanting to get hit by a car on her commute to class, said Peterson.
Additionally, she also believes people should not jaywalk. “I think jaywalking is dangerous and I don't like when I see students doing it.” She also noted, “the part of Hildebrand they are walking across is dangerous because there are a lot of blind spots and people drive super quickly around the corners, which makes it even more risky.”
Madeline Hanes, another senior living in City Vista this year, also chooses to take the lengthier route to get to class.
“I generally use the crosswalk at the intersection to cross Hildebrand,” said Hanes. “I don’t normally jaywalk, because I find it hard to keep an eye out for the cars coming around the corner, and it only saves a few minutes of walking.”
While not all City Vista inhabitants can agree on the best route of walking to class, some feel that more actions can be taken to improve the safety of the students commuting across Hildebrand each day.
“Perhaps students can host a session in which they discuss their options,” Anzaldua suggested. An additional crosswalk further down Hildebrand could also help. “Students will probably continue to jaywalk unless Trinity decides to add a second crosswalk closer to City Vista and campus,” said Hanes.
Hanes also suggested the idea of building a sky bridge connecting City Vista and the main compus. Peterson seconded this idea. “I think adding an overpass is the quickest and easiest way to improve the safety of the students or to put in a light that makes it easier for students directly to campus.”
As the year comes to a close, the debate continues: is it worth it to jaywalk, or do the cons outweigh the pros in terms of safety?
Everyday, students living in City Vista, located on the corner of Hildebrand and Devine, must cross the traffic bustling Hildebrand in order to get to classes. This section of Hildebrand is curvy and hilly, making it hard for drivers to see very far down the road. This seemingly short walk across Hildebrand to campus, however, has students taking two different routes: crossing at the newly installed crosswalk right at the intersection of Hildbrand and Devine, or jaywalking across the street further west down Hildebrand.
Trinity’s acquisition of City Vista Apartments last year has broadened the university’s housing options for upper-class students, and has provided students the opportunity to experience apartment-style living. However, with the benefits, it has also brought the increased necessity for student safety.
Trinity University Police Department anticipated that jaywalking would be an issue from the beginning. “Even before Trinity took over city Vista, the city had put up a sign that said no left turn; you couldn’t turn onto Divine,” said Trinity Police Chief Paul Chapa. “Now that we have a larger amount of foot traffic, it made sense to install a crosswalk.” And that was completed soon after Trinity students moved in City Vista last fall.
TUPD had hoped that the installation of the walking lights would push students to take the safer route when walking to class and noted that since its installation, “We have seen many students that are consciously choosing to utilize the crosswalk.” Although, Chapa acknowledged, TUPD is “not actively pursuing or monitoring the situation. We hope that students will make safe choices but realize that not all will decide to do so.”
Indeed, for some students, jaywalking appears to be the more appealing option. “I jaywalk across Hildebrand multiple times a day,” said Ty Kirby, a junior living in City Vista. “I see students jaywalking all the time and it honestly saves about 3-5 minutes of excess waiting and walking. Its efficient.”
Another City Vista resident, Alejandro Anzaldua, shared similar reasoning, even suggesting that if students “feel comfortable enough to do it, they should be allowed.” He, too, like Kirby, doesn’t like to walk to the crosswalk and wait for the walking signal, which he said would add 3 to 5 minutes to the trip.
While some City Vista residents choose to jaywalk, not all agree that time efficiency outweighs safety. Some students, like Christine Peterson, a senior City Vista resident, cite safety as one of their main reasons for preferring to use the crosswalk.
“I always go to the crosswalk because I'm a scaredy-cat,” not wanting to get hit by a car on her commute to class, said Peterson.
Additionally, she also believes people should not jaywalk. “I think jaywalking is dangerous and I don't like when I see students doing it.” She also noted, “the part of Hildebrand they are walking across is dangerous because there are a lot of blind spots and people drive super quickly around the corners, which makes it even more risky.”
Madeline Hanes, another senior living in City Vista this year, also chooses to take the lengthier route to get to class.
“I generally use the crosswalk at the intersection to cross Hildebrand,” said Hanes. “I don’t normally jaywalk, because I find it hard to keep an eye out for the cars coming around the corner, and it only saves a few minutes of walking.”
While not all City Vista inhabitants can agree on the best route of walking to class, some feel that more actions can be taken to improve the safety of the students commuting across Hildebrand each day.
“Perhaps students can host a session in which they discuss their options,” Anzaldua suggested. An additional crosswalk further down Hildebrand could also help. “Students will probably continue to jaywalk unless Trinity decides to add a second crosswalk closer to City Vista and campus,” said Hanes.
Hanes also suggested the idea of building a sky bridge connecting City Vista and the main compus. Peterson seconded this idea. “I think adding an overpass is the quickest and easiest way to improve the safety of the students or to put in a light that makes it easier for students directly to campus.”
As the year comes to a close, the debate continues: is it worth it to jaywalk, or do the cons outweigh the pros in terms of safety?
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