Intersection changes lessen traffic
Published Oct. 24, 2006
Changes implemented at the Rollins intersections of Hitt and Virginia streets preventing westbound left turns have generated little complaint from motorists traveling through campus, Campus Facilities spokesman Phil Shocklee said.
The changes at each intersection took place at the beginning of this semester to complement the pedestrian-friendly section of Rollins located in front of Brady Commons. The raised concrete platforms constructed at the intersections were intended to direct all northbound traffic to the east and to help alleviate congested traffic, Shocklee said in an interview in The Maneater this summer.
"I think it's working quite well," Shocklee said of the changes. "It does take a little getting used to that change."
Missouri Students Association President John Andersen said that his organization has heard no major outcry from students or faculty against the alterations on Rollins.
"If there are serious student concerns, we will deal with them as they come," Andersen said.
Andersen, who co-authored the legislation to establish the pedestrian-only portion of Rollins, said the closing of the street to automobile traffic between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. is part of a trial period ending after next semester. The left turn restrictions at Hitt and Virginia streets will remain in place during this period.
MSA will conduct a survey at the end of the trial period to determine how the student body feels about the closure of Rollins, and it will decide whether to continue closing the street based on the survey's results.