Letter to the editor
Professor questions pedestrian behavior in post office parking lot
Charles Hartwig
Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Opinion
I would like to pick up and expand on a line in an editorial in The Herald several weeks ago about parking issues, when the author[s] noted that pedestrians also need to act responsibly. This is especially true, I submit, in an area, which will quite possibly see a tragedy in the future, unless something changes.
The area in question is the small parking lot crammed between the ASU Post Office, the Wilson Health Center and the parking deck. This is a high traffic area during many parts of the day, with drivers constantly parking and backing out while attempting to watch for vehicles coming from three directions and drivers exiting their vehicles. All this would be bad enough, but swarms of people walking to or from the Student Center, Reynolds Building, Smith Hall, Health Center and dorms constantly stroll straight through the parking lot, ignoring the wide sidewalk next to the post office. This pattern of behavior has clearly become a habit, since, during the winter conditions in early February, people were ignoring the plowed and sanded sidewalks and gingerly picking their way across the icy parking lot, adding to the problems of drivers attempted to see out of fogged or iced-over car windows while picking up mail.
Before some pedestrian gets hit or a driver succumbs to "parking lot rage," perhaps warning tickets for jaywalkers could be considered for this lot?
The area in question is the small parking lot crammed between the ASU Post Office, the Wilson Health Center and the parking deck. This is a high traffic area during many parts of the day, with drivers constantly parking and backing out while attempting to watch for vehicles coming from three directions and drivers exiting their vehicles. All this would be bad enough, but swarms of people walking to or from the Student Center, Reynolds Building, Smith Hall, Health Center and dorms constantly stroll straight through the parking lot, ignoring the wide sidewalk next to the post office. This pattern of behavior has clearly become a habit, since, during the winter conditions in early February, people were ignoring the plowed and sanded sidewalks and gingerly picking their way across the icy parking lot, adding to the problems of drivers attempted to see out of fogged or iced-over car windows while picking up mail.
Before some pedestrian gets hit or a driver succumbs to "parking lot rage," perhaps warning tickets for jaywalkers could be considered for this lot?
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sam
posted 3/12/10 @ 12:40 AM CST
Get off your high horse just because people don't follow sidewalks like they're trains following tracks. You'd be taking shortcuts too if you were carrying ~60lbs of books across campus and you were in a hurry. (Continued…)
Anna
posted 3/12/10 @ 6:25 PM CST
Pedestrians need to be cautious and follow laws, but they do have right of way and it is the job of drivers to be aware of them.
Part of the problem could be the number of cars usually parked at the Post Office. (Continued…)
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