Campus News

Sidewalk installed with eye toward student safety

Sidewalk project.

Students and other pedestrians now will have a safer walk along the east side of Flint Road, thanks to the installation of a new sidewalk (on the left side of the road in this view via University Communications' drone camera). Photo: Douglas Levere

By MICHAEL ANDREI

Published August 6, 2015 This content is archived.

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Beginning this fall, pedestrians entering the North Campus using the Flint Entrance on Maple Road will find the going a bit easier — and safer — thanks to a new sidewalk.

Running north into the campus along Flint Road from Maple to Augspurger Road, the wide, concrete ribbon is hard to miss. Kevin Thompson, director of facilities, planning and design, hopes that will lead to use of the walkway becoming a habit with students, staff and campus visitors.

“The entrance at Flint Road and Maple is popular with students coming to campus from apartments along Millersport, and even some of the motels there,” Thompson says. “The walk along Flint into the campus is direct, but also fairly lengthy.

“There was no sidewalk on the east side of Flint, so students and other pedestrians walking into the campus were right in the road, which was not a particularly safe practice — especially in bad weather and early morning in the winter.”

Thompson says the new walkway is the result of a decision by members of the UB Traffic Safety Committee. He notes that while there is an existing asphalt sidewalk along the west side of Flint that also runs into the campus, it is seldom used.

“It seemed that once people enter the campus using that entrance and then start walking along the east side of Flint, they would seldom cross over. The new sidewalk is wider, safer and more visible than the older asphalt one on the west side, so we hope that students — and everyone — will choose to take advantage of it.”

Thompson says the new Flint Road sidewalk is part of annual roadway maintenance that is conducted around the campus. He says some of the work this year has included milling and resurfacing John James Audubon Parkway and other campus roads, along with repair of existing sidewalks.

READER COMMENTS

Now someone needs to address the lack of sidewalks along Flint from Millersport to Maple. That is very dangerous also, especially in the winter, for the students walking from the nearby apartments.

 

Town of Amherst, UB -- a joint project? 

This is really a great idea! However, it may turn useless due to a lack of a crossing light to cross busy Audubon Parkway.

 

Furthermore, it would be a HUGE help if this sidewalk could be extended to Millersport Highway. There is absolutely no sidewalk along Flint Road between Maple Road and Millersport. I have seen a number of UB students walking in the road (yes, read it right - ROAD!) numerous times, which is highly dangerous to the pedestrians and vehicles.

 

With new apartments opening behind Copley Court, it will be just a matter of time until we witness a major tragedy this winter.

 

Amit Prayag

As someone who lives on the other side of Millersport (not far from the Flint Entrance), I echo the previous comments -- yay for the new sidewalk. Now make the stretch from Maple to Millersport less of a pedestrian hazard by putting a proper sidewalk there, too!

 

Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk

It's my first semester here, and I've been looking for a salon that will do women's haircuts to maintain my mohawk. I'm looking into Salon Eileen, which is just a 10-minute walk from campus, but suddenly the sidewalk ends! Do I walk on the road? Do I walk on what seems to be a beaten-down path hovering a little too close to the small creek that runs perpendicular to the road? Either way could end in hilarious, but ultimately tragic shenanigans. I would definitely appreciate a sidewalk being built.

 

Christina Lee

This is a good start, but far more needs to be done.

 

The lack of sidewalks on Flint from Millersport to Maple and on the Maple-I-290 overpass between Flint and Sweet Home creates dangerous situations. Another concern is that the signals at Flint and Audubon are timed so that it is impossible for pedestrians to make it all the way across Audubon without running.

 

Walter Hakala