University Times

Pitt has proposed a new solution to a long-time pedestrian trouble spot.

Pitt Police Chief Tim Delaney wants to have an additional traffic light installed in the Bigelow Boulevard block between Fifth and Forbes avenues, something he says will improve both pedestrian safety and vehicular traffic flow.

A Nov. 12 pedestrian traffic accident (one of two that week on the Pittsburgh campus) on Bigelow Boulevard between the William Pitt Union and the Cathedral of Learning once again has brought increased attention to the crosswalk area there.

Delaney has proposed to city and Oakland officials installing an additional traffic light at the crosswalk. He also wants a “counter signal,” in addition to a “walk, don’t walk” alert system, that would count down the seconds prior to the light changing to alert the pedestrian.

“We have so many students who in a normal crosswalk [governed by a traffic light] start running across even if the light is changing. I think this system, along with educating them, would help if they see: ‘4, 3, 2, 1’ they will wait and not just run 20 yards putting themselves at risk,” Delaney said.

The new traffic light would be synchronized with the light at the corner of Bigelow and Fifth Avenue, he said. When the light at Fifth for traffic on Bigelow is green, all pedestrians at the Bigelow crosswalk would have a red light. When the light at Fifth is red, the crosswalk light also will be red for traffic on Bigelow approaching the crosswalk from either Forbes or Fifth avenues.

Vehicles by law are supposed to stop for pedestrians, but pedestrians trickle through the crosswalk and the vehicles try to pass through between pedestrian flow, Delaney pointed out. “Right now, there’s the uncertainty,” he said. “We always think, ‘safety first.’ But we’re trying to reach a balance, because vehicular traffic has to be able to proceed through the area, too. I think this would help increase safety as well as [improve] traffic flow.”

Officials backing the plan include City Councilman Bill Peduto and Maevis Rainey, executive director of the Oakland Transportation and Management Association (OTMA), Delaney said.

“We’re working with Maevis Rainey and [staff from Pitt’s] Community and Governmental Relations to get the money for this,” Delaney said.

Potential funding sources include Gov. Ed Rendell’s Hometown Streets and School Safety program, Delaney said.

Dan Gilman, a spokesperson in Peduto’s office, said, “The councilman believes the area can be both safe and drivable, and he supports [installing] a traffic light there, although the project may include moving the crosswalk more toward the center of the block to allow more cars turning from Fifth onto Bigelow.”

Gilman added that a left-turn-only green arrow also could be added for Fifth Avenue traffic turning onto Bigelow.

“Right now, we’re now working with OTMA and other Oakland community groups, like the Oakland Community Council and the Oakland Task Force, as well as PennDOT to reach a consensus on this,” Gilman said. “We’re in the process of scheduling meetings with those groups. Then the project will be brought to traffic engineering at the [city] Department of Engineering and Construction for approval.”

“I’ve seen problems at this area for more than 30 years,” Delaney said. “Last month, I had John Rudiak, PennDOT traffic engineer for District 11, shaking and flinching just watching the students cross there, because of how close a number of them were to getting hit,” Delaney told the University Times this week. “We talked about solutions, and I shared the idea I had when I was in New York City in September.” Delaney also is pushing for sidewalk cut-outs on the William Pitt Union side of Bigelow to add more room for queuing shuttles that currently inhibit vehicular traffic flow.

-Peter Hart