Now that the new underpass project is complete and a four-way stop has been added to the intersection of Route 480 and West High Street, there is another concern of student safety that should be examined.
With the increasing growth of Shepherd’s student body and a transition aiming at more pedestrian accessibility, the busy juncture between King Street and West High Street is arguably the next area needing consideration.
Monday through Friday during the day, that intersection becomes quite hazardous. It is also a stop for the Pantran. This intersection presents the most liability because it is located right in the middle of Shepherd’s three course buildings: Stutzman-Slonaker, Snyder Hall, and Knutti Hall.
Traffic at this intersection is dense, sporadic, and chaotic depending on the certain time and day. Shepherd also has a considerably high commuter population and leaving this area uncontrolled with the number of students on campus increasing is a question of concern.
Students getting out of class may even have to cross not only one part of the intersection, but two depending on their destination. Add that to the four-way stop in place and it takes some tricky maneuvering at times in order to get through the junction.
In addition, there is parallel parking surrounding this busy intersection. Parking close to this area is even risky because I have witnessed some pedestrians walking right into an open spot while the drivers were in the midst of parking in that exact space.
In the social atmosphere that erupts right outside of a classroom building, it is easy to understand how this type of situation can occur. Plus, not all pedestrians utilize the intersection between King and High Street to get to Knutti or White Hall. There are some that walk just down from the intersection, closer to White Hall.
While this is a major shortcut for students, on the flipside, to the drivers it could potentially create a hazard if they aren’t paying attention.
Before the junction between Route 480 and High Street received a four way stop, there was someone available to direct traffic during hectic parts of the school day. The traffic controller wasn’t always there, but as the area became an issue of concern, a solution was implemented.
Though the intersection of King and High already has a four-way stop, because of the location and heavy pedestrian traffic, it may not be enough.
According to Shepherd’s conceptual master plan, it appears there could be some more changes to the layout of the university. One of Shepherd’s goals is to restructure the campus from being mostly commuter accessible to one that is reachable primarily via walking.
The proposed conceptual layout available on Shepherd’s website indicates a plan to close off the King Street entrance and create a pedestrian mall. This would be the street that runs between Stutzman-Slonaker and Snyder Hall, meaning that the plan would eventually make that road accessible only on foot.
While these changes may seem to address the potentially dangerous intersection, those changes are not here yet. Right now, the intersection is a brewing area of public safety, and until other solutions arise, these concerns should not be overlooked.