Student Senate will vote today on a resolution that implores the administration to urge the city of University Park to install a light-up crosswalk on Airline Road, near sorority row. In addition, a petition is being circulated by two senators that also encourages University Park to install the crosswalk. The Daily Campus Editorial Board fully supports both the resolution and the petition.

The crosswalk in question is situated on a road that receives a good deal of automobile traffic. Indeed, there is already a light-up crosswalk leading to the law school parking garage on Daniel Avenue, only a few yards from the proposed crosswalk site. This traffic can be extremely dangerous for the many pedestrians who must cross it every day.

In 2001, two SMU sophomores were involved in a hit-and-run accident at the crosswalk. One student suffered a broken pelvis, punctured bladder and a twisted knee. She underwent surgery to repair four breaks in her pelvis. The other student also broke her pelvis and needed 18 stitches in her head after being thrown 82 feet from the impact site.

These accidents are only two examples of the dangers that pedestrians face every day. The chances of a serious accident happening again only increase as the proper crosswalk is not installed.

A light-up crosswalk would also be beneficial to automobile drivers. Because the crosswalk sits on a curve in the road, sometimes it is hard to see if there is someone crossing. At night, this visibility is decreased even further. Without a sign of warning, these two factors could contribute to a very serious accident. Blinking lights would effectively warn automobile drivers that someone is attempting to cross the street.

The benefits of a light-up crosswalk would also extend to the many SMU students who have trouble crossing the street on their way to class. Because of the heavy traffic, it is sometimes hard to even attempt to cross the street. A crosswalk like that near sorority row would tell drivers to stop so that someone could cross the street in a timely manner.

We strongly encourage each and every senator to pass this resolution to show the city of University Park just how important this issue is to SMU students. We also encourage SMU students to support the petition sponsored by two of the senators.