Are you there, driver? It’s me, a pedestrian.
With the recent commotion around campus due to the mass amount of construction on buildings and sidewalks, drivers have been inconvenienced with loss of parking space and loss of road to travel on which I, too, have been inconvenienced, driver. Instead of having the set path to and from the James building I have had for the past three years, I have had to learn the ins and outs of California Baptist University’s newest walkways, garnished with construction gates and “Watch for Pedestrians” signs. While doing so, I have also had to dodge you, the driver, as you drive excessively fast out of the James Building parking lot.
While I may be an inconvenience to the hurry you are in as I am trying to walk with my El Monte meal back to the building to produce this very newspaper, you are an inconvenience to me as I am fearing for my safety, maintaining a heightened level of caution and fear as I walk on what little sidewalk I have left to reach my destination.
I understand we are on a college campus and you might feel you don’t actually need to stop at the stop signs posted, but you do, especially when pedestrians are present.
Please, put your phone down. The likelihood of a car accident on a campus of this size may not seem like a huge possibility, but your risk is higher when you’re texting behind the wheel.
The construction is an inconvenience for both driver and pedestrian, but everyone’s safety is a priority. I don’t want to end up in a hospital bed and you probably don’t want to end up with a lawsuit.
On the other hand, pedestrians, maintain some caution when crossing the streets or riding your longboards and bikes through campus. Be cautious of your surroundings and do not dart out of the covered, fenced walkways without looking both ways first. As a driver, I don’t want to see you walking at a snail’s pace with your neck craned down, eyes locked on your phone.
I won’t hit you with my vehicle, but a distracted driver might. It is not wrong for drivers to become frustrated when they find themselves behind a “text-walker.” Your texts can wait until you’re safely across the street.
Drivers and pedestrians alike, use some caution and be aware of your surroundings while walking through campus to keep everybody safe.
