The college recently installed four new stop signs at intersections around campus after reports of confusion and safety concerns. Torrence Williams | Washtenaw Voice
By Lilly Kujawski
Editor
Four new stop signs have been installed at various intersections on campus. The move was prompted by safety concerns from public safety and campus community members.
There has been an issue on campus with drivers disregarding stop signs, according to Scott Hilden, chief of public safety at WCC.
“We notice a lot of people on campus who drive a little too fast, sometimes carelessly,” said Hilden.
Drivers reported finding the three-way intersections near the GM building that only had two stop signs to be confusing, Hilden said. The new signs are located in these intersections, as well as one near LA and the Family Education childcare center.
The campus is a busy environment, with many drivers and pedestrians traveling at once, Hilden said.
“The last thing we want is for someone to get hurt,” said Hilden.
In 2019, 56 vehicle accidents took place on WCC’s campus. With a student body of 12,295, this number is roughly comparable to accident data from two nearby colleges. Macomb Community College, which has a student body of 22,914, reported 69 vehicle accidents in 2019, and Schoolcraft Community College, with a student body of 9,895, had 45 vehicle accidents in 2019.
On private property open to the public, a police department needs permission from the property owner for officers to issue traffic tickets beyond ones for misdemeanor offenses, Hilden said. Even though WCC is private property, WCC public safety officers can issue traffic tickets without this imposed limit because the public safety department is a WCC entity.
Even with this power, WCC officers tend to limit the number of fined tickets they issue because they know college students usually have limited financial resources. Hilden said officers will first issue a verbal warning; if the same person commits another traffic violation, the next step is usually for the officer to refer the incident to the dean of students as a school conduct issue, which can result in disciplinary action but not a monetary fine; lastly, for repeat offenders or particularly egregious driving and blatant disregard to traffic laws, students will be issued a real ticket with a fine.
Ashley Mallia, 29, is a business major who drives to campus. She noticed the new stop signs and thought it was a good call to add them.
Mallia said she has noticed not everyone fully stops at the stop signs, but she thinks it depends on the driver.
If there are no other cars present at the intersection, drivers tend to roll past the signs without stopping, said 26-year-old Noah Hartwick, a science major, based on his own observations.
Safety should be a priority at a college campus, Mallia said, so she’s glad the college made the move to put more stop signs at the intersections.
In addition to the new stop signs, the college also added “one way” signs to the drop-off loop by the childcare center.
