STAFF EDIT: Red light for safety statistics

The Commonwealth Avenue Beautification Project brought the interactions between pedestrians and bicyclists and vehicles to the attention of students and administrators at Boston University this fall. Though collisions have happened on campus before, torn-up sidewalks and construction that redirected traffic on Commonwealth Avenue made the incidence of reported accidents a cause for concern. However, it is impossible for the university to determine if collisions have been caused by the mixing of pedestrians forced into streets by construction and cars — known to speed down Commonwealth Avenue after breaking free of Kenmore Square congestion — or are merely an urban regularity, because BU does not keep records of the locations or causes of accidents on campus.

The number of accidents observed this year and reported by The Daily Free Press — a number likely smaller than the total that actually occurred — may be an aberration, or it could be a growing trend. The statistics required to determine this, however, do not exist, but should be gathered. Until BU begins to catalogue accident information, public safety on campus will be compromised.

Administrators and student leaders seem unable to pinpoint the cause, or even most frequent location, of pedestrian-vehicle accidents on campus. While Student Union President Adil Yunis points to construction as the cause of traffic disruption and increased collisions on campus, the reported number of accidents does not seem to support that thesis. While construction has focused on the areas in the central area of campus, most reported accidents occur in West Campus — where the effects of construction were not directly felt this semester.

Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore emphasizes student responsibility for safely crossing the campus’s busy streets. While pedestrian safety often rests with students, and many accidents and near-misses occur when students dart across streets to class with disregard for traffic or race to the T despite stoplight signals, there have been accidents that indicate blame does not rest exclusively with pedestrians and bicyclists. Cars speeding down Commonwealth Avenue, where the BU police’s traffic jurisdiction is questionable, and quickly turning corners without looking for crossers are problems for pedestrians, as much as reckless crossers are for drivers. However, BU will remain unable to fully address the problem of pedestrian-vehicle collisions until it gathers sufficient information about the location, nature and fault of each incident, and makes this information available.

Gathering data about accidents may be difficult, but this should not discourage BU from attempting to paint an accurate picture of pedestrian safety on campus. Just as reports about student drinking and hospitalization are meant to warn students of the real dangers that exist around them, at least in part due to their own decisions, a comprehensive report about pedestrian dangers could prompt a change in traffic and crossing culture along Commonwealth Avenue. BU may have reason to avoid such a report — unlike student drinking problems, pedestrian dangers reflect poorly upon the inherent layout of the campus for potential students — but the benefits of such an honest assessment could save students from injury, if not death.