The Niswonger Digital Media Center, located across State of Franklin Drive from the University, has sparked a drastic increase in student traffic crossing State of Franklin.
With an ever-greater number of classes being taught there, the need for evaluation of student safety grows as well.
“Prior to the [bridge] being built, we had a lot of concerns,” said Health and Safety Officer Pete Gregg.
He serves as a member of ETSU’s Parking, Traffic and Safety Committee, which evaluates and handles potential dangers to the student population and has debated this issue for sometime.
Gregg said that before the center was built, students often parked across the street and walked across State of Franklin to campus.
With the construction of the bridge across State of Franklin, ETSU had hoped to eliminate the need for students to dash across the busy street.
However, the problem has not abated. Students who do not wish to climb the long spiral ramp to use the bridge have continued to dash across State of Franklin in ever-increasing numbers.
“It does frighten me, seeing more and more of the students crossing there,” Gregg said. He said fast traffic and drivers turning out of ETSU, often blinded by the sun, might fail to see a pedestrian walking in the street, create a dangerous situation for pedestrians.
While, as of yet, there have not been any incidents of pedestrians being injured while crossing the street, Gregg stated that the problem will get worse. “[We] need to minimize the danger to the students … what we want to do is point the danger out.

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