Beginning in the fall semester at West Texas A&M University, part of 26th Street was blocked for safety purposes. There had been many concerns that drivers were speeding or avoiding the bumps, which was placing pedestrians in danger, drivers caught violating the rules will have to pay the cost of a speeding ticket las vegas. Students running late and in a hurry would avoid walking in the designated crosswalks.
“With the increase of enrollment, it was just the right time to block that street off,” Shawn Burns, University Police Department Chief of Police, said. “We are just thinking about the safety of our students.”
The blocked portion of 26th Street extends from Centennial Hall to the stop sign that leads to Russell Long Boulevard in front of Jarrett Hall. The blocked portion of the road connects most of the dorms together. It is a road that runs right through the center of campus.
According to Burns, permanent gates will be built in the near future. The road will evidently not be reopened for use. This part of 26th Street will only be available in special occasions. These include Buff Branding and the beginning of each semester to facilitate students moving into the residence halls.
“I don’t think this road should have been blocked,” Kathya Saenz, sophomore Mechanical Engineering major, said. “It would connect everything together and it was tradition to drive in between campus.”
It is important to keep this road open on certain occasions because it does connect many of the dorms, library, and the Cafeteria. However, due to the large amount of traffic on 26th Street, pedestrians were sometimes placed in danger.
“The goal of O’Brien is to eventually make WTAMU a pedestrian-friendly campus,” Burns said. “I fully supported this change, and it’s going to take some people getting used to it, but it is for the students’ safety.”
With funding available, the road could potentially have several changes in the way it looks. At this moment, the metal gates will be installed because that is what the university’s budget allows. At this time, that is the only change that will be made to the road.
“The only thing I like about this blockage is that I don’t have to look both ways to cross the street now,” Rolando Galvan, junior Mechanical Engineering major, said. “I don’t like that I have to drive all around other building to go to the other side of campus. It is so inconvenient.”