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Dan Allen Drive is scheduled to undergo changes this summer in the hopes of protecting pedestrians and drivers.
Dan Allen Drive is scheduled to change in the upcoming months, as the installation of new gates will cut off traffic between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The gates will be located on either side of the railroad bridge, allowing only buses and University vehicles to pass.
Christine Klein, a public communication specialist in the Office of Transportation, feels the change will help keep campus safe for drivers and pedestrians.
“We felt this change was required and, frankly, long over-due because of all the foot traffic that crosses Dan Allen Drive. during the peak hours. The main reasons were, of course, safety and so that the Wolfline buses will be able to keep their schedule,” Klein said.
The Wolfline buses will be the only vehicles able to use Dan Allen during those times.
“The past 18 months have seen a significant number of accidents or near accidents, I don’t have the exact number but I know it was around at least 40,” Klein said. “This gate will surely see a mixed bag of responses; however, in the long run, it is best for the entire University.”
Brian O’Sullivan, assistant director of transportation, said the project is a necessity to give the University more of an “at home” feeling.
“Currently, 20 percent of the traffic on Dan Allen is purely cut-through traffic,” O’Sullivan said. “We don’t want one of our premier streets on campus to be the street where non-affiliated drivers are just trying to get to Western Boulevard. faster.”
Klein believes although the change is severe, it will not affect the students and faculty as much as one would think.
“I think the perspectives are going to be mainly personal,” Klein said. “For me, I only use the Wolfline to get to work and I know others aren’t really driving on campus until after 5 p.m. Some may need an alternative route to get to campus, but at the end of the day the call to safety is the main priority.”
The entire project will cost the University around $50,000. Construction should be done before the fall semester begins.
Though Transportation is predominantly concerned with safety on campus, some students who are already aware of the plan said they aren’t happy about possible side effects. Megan Rodgers, a junior in environmental sciences, is one of them.
“I believe the University is doing a good job thinking about the safety of the students, but they are not thinking through the repercussions,” Rodgers said. “The businesses on Hillsborough will most definitely be affected if one of the main streets becomes disabled. It just becomes an inconvenience.”
O’Sullivan said the introduction of Valentine Commons, a brand new apartment complex on Hillsborough, will bring with it new foot traffic, which made the decision to install the gate easier.
“There will be 900-950 more students who will be crossing Dan Allen to get to their classes,” O’Sullivan said. “If we have hundreds of cars every hour traveling on Dan Allen, it just becomes common sense. We have to change something to keep the kids safe.”
Though not all students will embrace the change, Transportation is hopeful for its resulting benefits.
“We hope that increased on-time transit options will encourage faculty and staff to use transit for their on-campus travel to and from meetings, instead of driving 5 minutes,” Klein said.
O’Sullivan hopes that the University’s increased focus on sustainable options will make the transition easier and the Wolfline routes more accessible.
“The long-term effects will be great and make the University more people friendly, which is always a good thing,” O’Sullivan said. “We are hoping to develop this change as something the students and faculty can support, because after all, we are doing it for them.”