BY KEVIN BENTLEY

In print | Published October 23, 2008

The accident involving Mairin Din ’12 has shocked the Swarthmore campus, and has led students to lobby for increased safety measures at the intersection where the collision occurred. On Oct. 6, several students, including members of Din’s cross-country team and residential hall, attended a town borough meeting in Swarthmore. During the meeting, students learned that residents shared their concern about the dangers posed by the Harvard-Yale intersection. This was not the first time safety concerns about the intersection had been brought to the council.

During the Oct. 14 meeting of the Local Traffic Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the borough council, Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo ’10 and Daniel Hodson ’09, both members of the cross-country team, proposed traffic safety measures such as traffic lights and signs. After discussion with the council and examining statistics, it became clear that traffic calming would be a more effective strategy, according to Fairfax-Columbo.

Asked why he was working to enact safety measures, Fairfax-Columbo said, “After the accident, I was trying to think of doing something on Mairin’s behalf.” Directly following the accident, he began to campaign for improved safety measures, rallying student support and reaching to outside sources for advice.

Fairfax-Columbo spoke with Professor of Political Science Benjamin Berger, whose course “Democratic Theory and Practice” he had taken last year. Berger encouraged Fairfax-Columbo to work with the Swarthmore Borough to bring about change on Din’s behalf.

“Swarthmore’s government is a fairly open and transparent system. Anybody can attend a meeting … and talk to individual council members,” Berger said. According to Berger, Fairfax-Columbo researched local traffic issues before approaching the city government.

Ideas such as placing a sign that says ‘yield for pedestrians’ or placing a traffic light initially seemed like effective short-term solutions, Hodson and Fairfax-Columbo said, but both recognized the need for effective long-term goals. It was this emerging realization that led the Council to conclude the need for the traffic calming measures. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation cites the Institute of Transportation Engineers in defining ‘traffic calming measures’ as “the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users.”

“The idea originated on campus, in the community, and in the borough hall,” Fairfax-Columbo said. The response showed that both the College and the community were on the same page about the intersection.

Both Fairfax-Columbo and Hodson will continue to attend meetings and make efforts to keep updated on any progress that occurs. “I want to support and oversee any initiatives that [are] proposed,” says Hodson. Fairfax-Columbo said that facilitating dialogue between the Borough and the college is the first step in initiating a policy change. “Our goal is to be in the loop and work with them [the Swarthmore community] as much as possible,” Fairfax-Columbo said.

Difficulties have arisen over improving the Harvard-Yale intersection because Yale Avenue is a state road. This necessitates local and state cooperation on the project and adds another layer to an already difficult process.

During the Borough meetings, the council emphasized its strong relationship with the state Department of Transportation. Still, Hodson noted, the process will be more involved because of this hierarchy. “It is complicated that you cannot go straight to the Borough and get things done,” he said. Representatives from the Borough were unavailable for comment.

The Borough Council has commissioned a study where statistics such as traffic volume and pedestrian count will be recorded. The study’s findings will be used to determine the most effective safety measures that can be utilized.

Kelly Wilcox ’97, Assistant Dean of Student Activities, has taken safety into her own hands. She is hosting the “Bike Safety Extravaganza” on the steps of Parrish tomorrow from 12:30-2:00 p.m. The flier for the event promises free food, free helmets, and free bike maintenance, and will culminate in a bike tour of Swarthmore at 2 p.m.

Additional reporting by Jon Emont

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