“Students hate waiting in long lines of traffic and running wildly across busy streets – hoping and praying to make it to the other side in one piece – just to get to class on time. The University of Akron has an answer to students needs. New cross walks and smart traffic lights were recently installed by UA with the help from the city at the intersection of Exchange and Grant streets.”
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Students hate waiting in long lines of traffic and running wildly across busy streets – hoping and praying to make it to the other side in one piece – just to get to class on time. The University of Akron has an answer to students needs. New cross walks and smart traffic lights were recently installed by UA with the help from the city at the intersection of Exchange and Grant streets.

The brand new cross walk outside of the Exchange Street Residence Hall includes a walk/don’t walk signal, painted cross walk area and traffic signs indicating the new addition. In addition, the university working with the city also installed a brand new smart light at the intersection of E. Buchtel and College Street to aid traffic congestion.

John Case, vice president and CFO, is one of the people in charge of the new additions around campus.

At the University of Akron we want to make things as safe as possible for the students and community, Case said.

The new cross walk is designed to last in Ohio’s variable weather conditions and allow students to cross from residence halls on the other side of Exchange Street.

We put in a thermal plastic cross walk at Exchange and Grant, Case said. The thermal plastic will hold up better in the heat of the summer and the biter cold of the winter than paint will. We put this cross walk in because there was no cross walk before, which made this a very dangerous intercession for pedestrians.

The improvements on campus are designed to improve safety and efficiency on campus.

We also put in a smart traffic light at the intersection of E. Buchtel and College streets to help with the traffic jams.

Case explained just what a smart light is.

A smart light is a light with sensors put into the ground at all lanes of traffic in the intersection, he said. The sensors will tell the light if there are any cars in that lane.

Thus if East Buchtel is full of traffic and there are no cars at the College part of the intersection the light will keep East Buchtel with the green light as long as needed. This will help cut down on the severity of traffic jams.

The university decided to make these renovations as part of continuing improvements around campus.

This is all part of the on going improvements to the university. The University of Akron members meet monthly with members of the city of Akron to disuses such maters, Case said. The decision for the cross walk and new smart light was made in the early fall of 2007.

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” #1.1361099:995626997.jpg:20080408_Crosswalk.jpg:City workers instal the new crosswalk on E. Exchange Street last week.:Courtsey of The Univerity of Akron”