VCU news

Every week, more than 1 million vehicles drive through Virginia Commonwealth University’s campuses. And thousands of pedestrians and cyclists use the sidewalks, roadways and intersections 24 hours a day.

So, it’s no surprise that a spring 2024 survey of more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff showed that pedestrian safety is overwhelmingly the No. 1 safety concern at VCU.

“VCU Police is committed to keeping our campuses safe, and pedestrian and traffic safety continue to be top priorities,” said John Venuti, associate vice president for public safety, VCU and VCU Health, and chief of VCU Police. “We need drivers to slow down, and we encourage everyone to put down their phones and pay attention. You may permanently change your life, as well as the lives of others, if you don’t.”

In January 2023, VCU student Mahrokh Khan died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street at Laurel and West Main streets. Several months later, in May, VCU student Shawn Soares died in a traffic-related crash while walking along the 300 block of West Main.

In the days following Khan’s death, VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., called for an independent pedestrian safety study to be conducted. VCU hired Kimley-Horn, an engineering planning and design consulting company with experience in the Richmond area, and worked with the city of Richmond to identify and prioritize improvements to infrastructure within city-owned right-of-way, encourage collaborative enforcement and community outreach, and ultimately support a safer campus community.

The consultant’s report, published in September 2023, outlined a long list of recommendations to improve pedestrian and traffic safety on both of VCU’s campuses. Over the past year and a half, VCU and Richmond have implemented a significant number of improvements recommended by the consultant. Many more are on the way.

“In partnership with the city, we are enacting meaningful change to enhance pedestrian safety in Richmond,” said Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at VCU. “The safety and well-being of VCU and the wider community are vitally important.”

Pedestrian safety improvements

Among the first infrastructure improvements to be installed were “speed tables,” which are midblock traffic-calming devices that are similar to speed bumps and that require drivers to cross slowly. The city has installed speed tables in 13 locations on Cary, Main, Franklin and Grace streets. Additionally, the city installed four speed tables in late June on the MCV Campus along Leigh Street, where a high volume of pedestrians cross on a daily basis. And future speed tables are being evaluated for locations on Harrison, Cherry and Laurel streets.

Almost immediately, the speed tables led to noticeably slower traffic on campus. Before and after installation, VCU Police analyzed traffic and found that the maxium vehicle speeds were greatly reduced after the speed tables were installed.

“We have observed that the speed tables are reducing the highest speeds and lowering the average speeds as well,” said VCU Police officer Jose DeJesus, who serves in the Traffic Division and has conducted a number of traffic studies on VCU’s campuses. “All of this being really important because the higher the speed, the more likely a pedestrian could be seriously injured.”

Another notable pedestrian safety improvement is the city’s installation of No Turn on Red signage at 14 intersections on and near VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.

Jeff Eastman, university planner in the Planning and Design division of Facilities Management, said the No Turn on Red signs have made it safer for pedestrians because drivers often focus on incoming traffic from the left and don’t notice pedestrians entering the crosswalk on the right.

“We’ve worked with the city very closely” on No Turn on Red signage, he said. “Fourteen locations met the city’s criteria and have been completed as of last November.”

Also helpful, Eastman said, have been “leading pedestrian intervals,” which essentially are timing adjustments for walk signals that give pedestrians a 3- to 7-second head start before vehicles in the parallel direction are given the green light. The city has evaluated and implemented leading pedestrian intervals at 31 locations on both campuses.

VCU and the city are also exploring improvements for pedestrian crossings at more than 20 intersections on both campuses. And the city is planning crosswalk improvements at multiple intersections on Belvidere Street on the Monroe Park Campus for fiscal years 2025-27.

VCU is currently hiring a consultant to assess the possibility of adding “curb extensions,” which make pedestrian crossings more visible to drivers, provide more space for pedestrians to gather while waiting to cross and offer pedestrians more protection from traffic.

“There’s different kinds of curb extensions, but one you might be familiar with is the intersection of Franklin and Shafer,” Eastman said. “If you’re walking to the library or the Commons, those curb extensions basically eliminate two lanes. … It’s a squeezed area, and that means pedestrians have two fewer lanes to cross, and it sends a signal to drivers that they better be aware of what’s going on here.”

The city is also investigating possible curb extensions at Pine Street’s intersections with Cary Street and Main Street.

Education, outreach and enforcement

Infrastructure improvements are only one aspect of creating a safer environment for pedestrians navigating the VCU campuses. Also important are education and raising awareness for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.

Ahead of the fall semester, VCU launched a comprehensive, on-campus pedestrian safety awareness campaign, including signs across campus saying “Heads up, Phones down,” “Look both ways” and more. 

VCU Police officers frequently conduct outreach to encourage safe behaviors by drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and to decrease accidents. That includes speaking with community members at crosswalks, hosting events and distributing safety information in VCU’s parking facilities. It also occasionally includes officers dressing as referees who use whistles and football-style flags to call out people who tried to cross against the light or who walked outside the crosswalk paint.

Traffic enforcement is also a major component of VCU Police’s efforts to keep pedestrians safe. In the spring and fall semesters of 2023, VCU Police issued more than 3,000 traffic and parking citations and warnings.

DeJesus said the infrastructure improvements, education, outreach and enforcement have had an effect. “We’re seeing fewer pedestrian-involved crashes, and that’s really the goal,” he said.

The most important thing for safety, he added, is that everyone needs to pay attention to their surroundings and minimize distractions.

“When you’re walking and you’re being overwhelmed by school and everything life is throwing at you, you have to remember that the person driving [a car] might be going through the same thing, so you have to really stay aware,” DeJesus said. “Drivers need to slow down and be aware, too. And everyone needs to put their phones down.”