Campus Safety Walk Report

Sun, 15 May 2011 18:56:00 -0400
guest-posts, safety

In this guest post, Divya Patel, who just completed her 1-year term as SGA's Director of Finance and Operations, reports on a "safety walk" she took with members of the UMBC administration.

Last month, I had the opportunity to go on a Safety Walk around campus at night with Paul Dillon (Deputy Chief of UMBC Police), Ben Goldberg (Acting Director of Off-Campus and Transfer Student Services), and Joseph Regier (Director of The Commons). We walked around campus checking for potential safety hazards such as broken lights, blue lights, hiding spots for burglars, and necessary sidewalks and speed limits.

Problems noticed during the Walk:

Sidewalk needed that connects TRC and Poplar Avenue.

Bushes behind dining hall could serve as a hiding spot for people intending to assault passers-by (addressed by trimming the bushes).

Broken streetlights

Center Road

Academic Row (addressed)

Pond (addressed)

Poplar Avenue

Walker Avenue

Library loading dock

Admin Drive (near tennis courts)

Commons Drive (that leads to the tunnel),

Hilltop Circle (near Walker Avenue Apartments).

More lights needed in Lot 6 (West Hill Apartments), TRC, and Interfaith Center (Center Road). (addressed)

University Center Plaza: tree roots are lifting up the tiles

Bus stop visibility (addressed)

Park Road regarding pedestrian traffic, parking, and speed limits (addressed by lowering speed limits around the loop to 20mph and within the campus to 15 mph – more work still needed)

Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management, Rusty Postlewate, has also been extremely helpful in trying to remedy these potential safety concerns.

In the next post, I will go more in detail about some of these safety hazards; specifically, regarding Park Road and a new program that the UMBC Police Department will be proposing similar to Emergency Blue Light Phones. I will also keep you updated on what gets fixed. Meanwhile, e-mail me at divya.patel@umbc.edu or comment below if you have any safety concerns or questions.

--Divya Patel