More than a month after the formation of a Traffic Safety Task Force, the recommendations they were charged with creating have been announced.
A safety message from senior vice president of Administration and Planning Jay Kasey, and vice president of Student Life Javaune Adams-Gaston, was sent to Ohio State students and faculty Tuesday informing them of the safety task force recommendations.
The email message outlined short-term goals of adopting “a clear and strong set of rules of the road for all modes of transportation to raise awareness and reduce accidents on campus.”
Some of the short-term goals are set to be implemented within the next two months.
Students can expect to see increased efforts on education safety and enforcement expectations for all forms of campus transportation, the email said.
Increased “signage” will also be posted to give clear instructions of proper action required at crosswalks and intersections.
Bicyclists will now be required to dismount and walk their bikes across the Oval, according to the email message, which will be the first of additional areas where certain modes of transportation will be restricted.
The task force will also begin assessing ways to reduce delivery, maintenance and construction traffic throughout campus and especially in the campus core.
The email message also addressed the task force’s long-term goal of creating “a campus culture that is accommodating and respectful of all modes of transportation.”
The email announced the university will also encourage the City of Columbus to evaluate the current status of heavily traveled streets such as High Street, and to make efforts to improve the safety of these areas.
OSU President E. Gordon Gee charged the group with the task of coming up with measures the university should take to enhance campus safety on Sept. 7.
The recommendations were initially expected to be made on Oct. 1.
