By Hilaire Fong
Daily Bruin Contributor
Transportation Services plans on replacing two missing signal
lights on a busy campus intersection in the next two weeks.
For at least six weeks, pedestrians have found it difficult to
know when it’s safe to cross the intersection at Charles
Young Drive South and Westwood Boulevard because two pedestrian
signals are missing.
The signal on the southeast corner of the intersection was
removed due to construction near the new Westwood Replacement
Hospital site, Transportation Services manager Steve Rand said. The
other signal on the northeast corner was probably removed or
damaged by a construction truck rounding the intersection, he
said.
Meanwhile, pedestrians are finding ways to judge when to cross
the street, even with the two signals missing.
“I never know when (the signal) is going to turn
yellow,” said first-year undeclared student Irene Rashkovan.
“I usually have to look at the other light to see if
it’s flashing.”
Colleen Yorke, a first-year theatre student, said she sometimes
waits to cross with a group of other people to make sure she is
safe, but deciding when to cross becomes difficult when others are
not around.
In spite of some students’ concerns about the pedestrian
signals, Rand said he has never received a formal complaint.
Transportation Services moved the signal on the southeast corner
when construction first started in the area because they did not
think there would be enough room for a sidewalk, Rand said.
When it was discovered that a sidewalk would not impede
construction, a temporary guard rail was installed but the
pedestrian signal was never replaced. Transportation Services was
not aware that the northeast pedestrian signal was even missing,
Rand said. He said students should be able to cross the street
safely if they observe traffic signals and exercise caution.
“We time all of the signals on campus to allow for
pedestrians to cross the street safely, at an average rate of
speed,” he said.