Multiple students have been hit by cars leaving the Kent Sills Band Hall at the intersection of Hardy Road and State Street. More recently (September 30th), a choir member was hit at this crosswalk by an oncoming car and severely injured. This accident was so bad that this student ended up 52 feet from the crosswalk he was hit at and was taken to the emergency room immediately after the accident.

This is not the first time that a student has been injured in this way. Around two years ago, a student was hit in the same crosswalk at a similar time of night. Again, the student was taken to the emergency room and sustained only minor injuries from the event. These, however, were strokes of luck and could have resulted in major injuries or even the death of a student. Administrators at the Band Hall say that there have been countless similar accidents on Hardy Road within the past few years.

Hardy Road was once equipped with blinking road signs to warn oncoming drivers of the presence of pedestrians. These road signs have since been removed possibly due to the ongoing construction in the area. This means that the only remaining indicators of the pedestrian crossing are a dimly lit yellow pedestrian crossing sign and the white lines of the crossing itself. Around one thousand students use that crosswalk daily to get to the Band Hall. These measures are inadequate to ensure the protection of students entering the roadway and need to be changed immediately.

MSU should be responsible for implementing safety measures on Hardy Road to prevent such incidents from occurring. This petition suggests that MSU should use Capital Improvement funding to implement:

1. Speed Bumps along Hardy Road
2. A new blinking crosswalk sign
3. Blinking lights for the crosswalk
4. Better lighting on and around the crosswalk
5. A three-way stop sign at the intersection of Hardy Rd. and State St.
6. Visible speed limit signs along Hardy Road

Given the amount of harm caused to students by this dangerous crosswalk and the necessity of students to use it, we demand MSU uses Capital Improvement funding to implement safety measures to the crosswalk area at Hardy Road and State Street. Previously injured students luckily have recovered after being hit on university roads. We will not let luck be the reason that nothing is done to fix the dangers on Hardy Road and we will not let luck be the reason that the next student hit loses their life. If you agree, please use your voice and raise awareness of the need for safety measures at Hardy Road and State Street by signing the petition attached!