Faculty Senate

December 6, 2005

10^th Street safety preliminary report

Background

During last March’s Faculty Senate meeting, the Senate passed a resolution (Faculty Senate Resolution #05-27) to address specific safety issues regarding 10^th Street, particularly in front of Christenbury Gym and the Brewster Building. It asked for the Chair of the Faculty to appoint an appropriate committee to investigate ways to “improve the safety conditions on Tenth Street in the area of the campus.” Catherine Rigsby, Chair of the Faculty, charged the Faculty Welfare committee to investigate this issue during their first initial meeting (August 25, 2005).

Current status and 10^th Street safety incidents

During the next two subsequent meetings, the Faculty Welfare committee discussed this particular issue and explored ways to improve this particular situation. Angela Thompson, a faculty member in the History department, also participated in one of the committee meetings and provided ample information regarding this safety hazard. Dr. Thompson has a faculty office in the Brewster Building.

During these discussions, the committee explored several possible solutions to remedying these safety issues, including:

– Additional pedestrian crosswalks

– Pedestrian bridge

– Speed bumps

– Reduced speed limits

– Traffic officers

– Modifications to traffic lights

– Modifications to turn lanes

We also found out that there were several incidents that have occurred at this portion of 10^th Street. Last Fall (2004), there were two accidents that occurred within two weeks apart. Unfortunately, these accidents took place at the same time when to evening classes started (6 p.m.). Several cars were involved in these accidents because of bad visibility and lots of people (i.e., students and faculty) were arriving for evening class.  

Resolution: 10^th Street safety sub-committee

As a result of these two committee discussions, we realized that a 10^th Street safety sub-committee needed to be formed to fully explore and resolve this issue. Instead of having exclusively faculty representation from the Faculty Welfare, all of the key stakeholders dealing with this safety issue need to address this issue. By having this inclusive and comprehensive representation of all of these stakeholders, short-term and long-term solutions to this issue will be explored and fully realized.

Thus, the Committee has formed a sub-committee to continue to address this issue. The subcommittee will report their findings to the Faculty Welfare Committee early in the Spring semester, with a goal to have the Faculty Welfare Committee report solutions to the Faculty Senate by April 2006.  This sub-committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday, November 17, 2005. Sub-committee members include the following individuals:

10th Street Safety Subcommittee Roster

Dawn Clark, Theatre and Dance (Faculty Welfare Committee member)

John Core, Nursing (Faculty Welfare Committee member)

Angela Thompson, History

David Long, History

Bruce Flye, ECU Planning/Pedestrian Greenways

Michelle Lieberman, Community Relations

Steve Hamilton and/or Ken Peedin, NC Division of Traffic/Highway

Steve Yetman, Greenville Traffic & Engineering

William “Andy” Beamer, Student

Scott Alford, ECU (Bus) Transportation Services

Rob Stroud, ECU Police

Mike Vanderven, ECU Parking and Transportation Services

11-29-05