Hospitals a hazard for drivers

Blocked by a truck travelling in the neighboring lane, junior Caldwell Zimmerman could not see what was coming when his scooter crashed into a turning car on Manning Drive.

Zimmerman’s accident was one of 50 collisions since the start of 2009 on either Manning Drive, Mason Farm Road or the smaller roads in the area of UNC Hospitals.

Efforts to make the roads safer have been targeted toward pedestrians despite higher accident numbers for vehicle-to-vehicle accidents.

Campus safety officials say that the area is one of the most dangerous on campus for both pedestrians and motorists.

“It’s certainly one of the areas of concern on campus,” said Randy Young, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

In response to the high number of accidents, the Department of Public Safety has stepped up efforts to reduce pedestrian accidents.

But most accidents in the area have involved two vehicles.

Young said heavy traffic and construction along with poor visibility and people’s unfamiliarity with the area have combined to make the roads around the hospitals a hot spot for accidents.

Jeremy Pinkham, communications coordinator for the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, said the intersection of Manning Drive and South Columbia is especially dangerous for those reasons.

“Campus tries to address potential pedestrian safety problems when there is construction, but that is still a problem,” he said.

He added that the crosswalk in front of the School of Dentistry is dangerous because it is not at an intersection and does not have a stoplight.

“We are conscious of limited visibility and high traffic, which presents challenges we don’t see in other areas,” Young said.

In May 2008, Lisa Carolyn Moran, 20, was jogging through the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive when she was struck and killed by a Chapel Hill transit bus. Another pedestrian was hit by a car in January but survived.

In all, there have been 13 accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles in the hospital area.

DPS spreads safety information through the Yield to Heels campaign and by posting signs, flashing lights and crossing guards on dangerous crosswalks.

Kumar Neppalli, a traffic engineer for the Town of Chapel Hill Department of Public Works, which is primarily responsible for safety efforts in the area, said measures have mostly been targeted toward reducing pedestrian-related accidents.

Efforts to reduce the number of vehicle-to-vehicle accidents have included enforcement of traffic regulations and the addition of a traffic signal at the intersection of Mason Farm Road and South Columbia, Nepalli said.

Young said enforcing speed limits more closely would be the best solution to the area’s safety issues.

DPS uses Speedsentry systems to track the amount of traffic and levels of speed in different areas on campus. Young said he believes having more of those systems in operation would help DPS step up efforts.

“We would love to see more of those in operation.”


Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.