In a continued effort to improve student safety and collaborate with the city of Waltham, Brandeis released a list of steps that will be taken in terms of crosswalk safety. A statement by Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president for communications, and Ed Callahan, director of public safety, was released to The Brandeis Hoot and The Justice this week. It reported that enhancements to the crosswalk will be made as quickly as possible.

Brandeis has been spurred to action as a result of the accident involving three Brandeis student pedestrians who were hit by a car, crossing the crosswalk near Lindsey Pool.

“The safety of our community is paramount, and Brandeis immediately took steps to reach out to the city of Waltham to address safety issues in the area,” the statement said.
Five steps are outlined in the statement. The first involves enhancing the lights on South Street, as pedestrians are often hard to spot. The statement reports this is already in progress.

Another improvement is a reported addition of “rectangular rapid-flash beacons to the existing crosswalk light poles. These beacons resemble police vehicle strobe lights and have been shown to increase drivers’ attention.”

Others include spotlights over the crosswalk and installing a motion-detector system so students no longer have to push the button or remember to do so.

A final enhancement will be made to make the crosswalk even more noticeable. The statement announces a “rapid installation of larger signs on each crosswalk pole instructing pedestrians to push the button to activate crossing lights to enhance pedestrian use of the lights prior to installation of the motion detector system.”

The statement also praises the Waltham police department for their increased security around campus borders.

“Particularly around dusk [the Waltham police] have been very helpful in reinforcing to drivers and the Brandeis community that there is a need to exercise extreme caution in the area,” reads the statement.