By SHANNON O. WELLS
After nearly being hit by a vehicle when crossing Atwood Street and Fifth Avenue — one of a string of near misses at the intersection — Jennifer Petrie, a clinical trials manager in the Department of Medicine, is determined to draw more attention to pedestrian safety on Pitt’s upper and lower campuses.
“We were trying to alert this person to stop the same day,” she said of her and others who work in the Medical Arts Building and frequently cross near the intersection. “I also witnessed a patient that was going in the same direction also almost get hit. So, it really alerted me to additional concerns about this intersection.”
Petrie shared her experiences and concerns during the Dec. 2 meeting of the Campus Utilization, Planning and Safety committee (CUPS). Ted Fritz, vice chancellor for public safety and emergency management, offered his perspective on safety management in a meeting that also covered Pitt’s weather-related closure process and the Office of Facilities Management’s approach to snow-removal. (see related story)
In addition to what she’s witnessed herself around Atwood and Fifth, Petrie said she recently learned a member of her UPMC team was tapped by a bus at the intersection.
“I’m sure this is a pathway that a lot of people in the Pitt community, especially the Department of Medicine, take,” she said, referring to the concentration of medical buildings including UPMC Presbyterian, Falk Clinic, the Kaufman building and the Biomedical Science Tower. “Anybody using those facilities is going to confront this intersection.”
Using recent photos as visual aids, she noted the many construction-related sidewalk closures around the junction of Atwood and Forbes Avenue. “As you come up from Atwood, you can kind of see that fencing almost blocks the crosswalk sign,” while a small hill further inhibits visibility. “It’s a congested intersection.”
Petrie has allied with Department of Medicine colleagues Enrico Novelli, chief of the Division of Classical Hematology, and Laura de Castro, director of the Sickle Cell Disease Team, who she said, “express these concerns very much.”
“All were in agreement. … They’ve been very concerned about this for patients, for students, and we have a parallel conversation kind of happening at UPMC as well,” Petrie said. “As you can see, the whole sidewalk is closed in front of Medical Arts Building, (and the) sidewalk closes at the end.
“So you can’t navigate both sides of that street,” she added, noting that the next street over, Meyran Avenue, also is “pretty problematic because of the sidewalk closure as well.”
On behalf of her team, Petrie asked the committee how best to voice their concerns, provide additional resources or support from the University and possibly the city of Pittsburgh.
David Salcido, CUPS committee chair and assistant professor of emergency medicine, expressed support for pedestrian-safety advocacy.
“I don’t know the impact it will have,” he said, “but I agree.”
“I have seen a lot of things at both of those intersections. We’re spoiled, I think, because of these great four-way stops that we have now that really demonstrate what happens when you isolate cars and people from each other in the crosswalks,” he added. “Although nothing is guaranteed, I feel that every time I walk across Fifth at Atwood, cars are desperate to get through, just like people are, and now there are new complications, like what we saw in the pictures.”
Fritz said while there are “obviously multiple issues … they’re not all the same (and) need to be treated a little bit differently. One common denominator, he noted, is that an already congested Oakland is now made worse by (Pittsburgh Regional Transit/PRT) construction and other construction in general. So, being cautious while driving and walking can’t be overstated.
“When your voices are raised, we relay that information to not only the governmental agencies, but also to construction companies along there,” he added. “A lot of this, we at Pitt don’t directly control, but we do try to influence. And I just want you to know that we are listening, and we are taking action on that.”
The “good news” on the sidewalk between Atwood and Oakland Avenue is that the last day of construction is Dec. 5. “So on Monday, that should be reopened, both the bus lane and the sidewalk.”
Fritz added that pedestrian safety likely will be discussed in an upcoming meeting with PRT.
“They’ve already … advised their police department to better monitor that intersection. That only goes so far. I realize that, but that intersection is also complicated by the fact there was also an accident around there, and there’s a building that’s being repaired,” he added, after someone who was eluding city police and driving recklessly down Fifth Avenue, ran into a building.
“I think one of our highest, if not the No. 1 priority related to safety in Oakland is … pedestrian safety, traffic safety in general,” Fritz said. “As a result, we have pretty much a whole section of our police department dedicated to this.”
Noting a safety blitz was taking place in Oakland the week of Dec. 1, Fritz said officers will be around handing out safety tips “and I think candy or something related to the holiday …
“We try different things, not only with our outreach to other organizations, but with our own people too. In the end, we are all pedestrians — and a lot of us are all drivers — and it comes down to paying attention to what we’re doing, too.”
Thanking those who shared their concerns and ideas, Salcido emphasized that the “vigilance of the individual crossing the street is the most important safeguard.
“There are engineering solutions, there is signage, there are educational interventions, but you are the last line of defense against the dangers that are out there,” he said. Faculty, staff or students are “taking their lives in their hands when they cross the street.”
“They need to have their head on a swivel,” he added. “And obviously they cannot expect the unexpected, but you can encourage them to try and stay vigilant.”
He shared some of the sentiments at the Dec. 3 Faculty Assembly meeting held in Posvar Hall.
“When you’re crossing any of the intersections in Oakland, look both ways,” he said. “Put the phone in your pocket. Do not step out from behind the illegally parked delivery truck just because you have a crossing signal.”
Praising Petrie’s visit to CUPS, Salcido said “bringing safety concerns to the right people at Pitt can translate to improvement, either directly or through institutional advocacy.
“If you see something concerning, tell someone. Bring it to the CUPS committee, if you don’t know who else to take it to,” he added. “We attempt to field all concerns.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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