printable versionVehicle-access restrictions aimed at creating safer zone for walkers, cyclists
BY MICHAEL PEÑA
A March 2006 photo of the arcade near building 60 shows a pedestrian route blocked by numerous bicycles. Bicycle parking is no longer allowed in the covered walkways of the Main Quad for safety reasons.
In an effort to create a central pedestrian zone that is safer for walkers and bicyclists, the university is enforcing rules this fall to prevent most vehicles and golf carts from entering and parking in paths in and around the Main Quad. In addition, bicycles will be prohibited from the arcades.
The rules were developed by a steering committee of senior staff and administrators who spent the last nine months figuring out how to address longstanding concerns about the safety of those getting around on foot and by bike in the core area of campus.
For years, pedestrians and cyclists have shared the paths and service roads on campus with delivery trucks, vendors, service vehicles and golf carts. But many of those vehicles have used those corridors more out of convenience than necessity, reducing room for passersby to get through and creating blind spots that increase the danger of collisions, according to Brodie Hamilton, director of Parking and Transportation Services (P&TS).
"The administration decided that we really need to get a handle on this, and now's the time to do it," Hamilton said. "More than anything, it's to reinforce existing rules and regulations and to make more clear under the new access policy where we would like people to avoid both driving as well as parking."
A map that defines the pedestrian zone and recommended vehicle routes, along with new loading zones and places where carts and service vehicles should park, is available by clicking on the "Maps" link under "Maps, Forms and Applications" on the P&TS website (http://transportation.stanford.edu/). The map also shows the location of access gates and pneumatic bollards, which will close off the pedestrian zone to casual vehicular traffic. The Pedestrian Zone Access Protocol is available at http://transportation.stanford.edu/parking_info/pedzone.shtml.
A new access system went into effect last week at the two gates that control vehicular entrance into the zone—behind Memorial Church and next to the Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS). Signs at the gates giving drivers advance notice to reapply for access had been in place for the past several weeks, Hamilton said.
In addition, four pneumatic bollards will be installed at strategic locations to prevent unauthorized vehicles from driving into the pedestrian zone. They should be fully functional sometime after October, Hamilton said. Emergency responders will continue to have full access through the bollards and gates.
Hamilton also noted that, starting Oct. 2, the new access system at the gates will operate around the clock, seven days a week, and access cards issued under the previous access system will no longer activate the gates. But he added that offices within the pedestrian zone, such as those in the Quad, can obtain access cards from P&TS for major deliveries, special needs or other urgent matters.
Another new policy will require all golf carts to display a permit issued by P&TS (at no charge), based on proof that the cart will be used strictly for university business. Golf-cart drivers also are being asked to stick to designated routes within the pedestrian zone and to no longer drive through the Inner Quad or Memorial Court.
"The requirement that university vehicles and carts be identified with a logo and a number is a longstanding policy," Hamilton said. "But we know that there are a lot of golf carts on campus that really shouldn't be here, that are being used for personal business, that aren't university owned."
The committee that developed the new policy included department heads and staff from P&TS, Facilities Operations, Public Safety, Procurement, the University Architect and Planning Office and the Office of the General Counsel. University Manager Stephanie Kalfayan, in the Provost's Office, chaired the committee.
The committee has met twice with building managers and individuals who work in the pedestrian zone, and P&TS recently presented the plan to 50 to 60 vendors and took comments. Some vendors said deliveries might take a bit longer, but overall, they were supportive of the changes, Hamilton said.
The steering committee has made some adjustments to the policy based on feedback and will consider additional fine-tuning should new issues arise, Hamilton added.
All who apply for vehicular access are being handed the new pedestrian zone map, and for the first few weeks of the quarter, violators will receive warnings, Hamilton said. Vehicles that do not comply after that, especially those who have been warned multiple times, will be cited, immobilized or towed.
Another new rule being enforced is a ban on bicycles in the arcades of the Quad. The aim is to clear those covered corridors, which become clogged with parked bikes when classes are in session, and to prevent collisions between walkers and cyclists. Additional bike racks will be installed at the southeast and southwest corners of the Quad, and P&TS and Public Safety staff will continue to monitor if and where more racks are needed, Hamilton said.
An intensive educational campaign kicked off last week to spread the word about the new bike rules. Over the next five weeks, the effort will utilize special events personnel, community service officers and temporary signage throughout the Quad. Stanford police also have reached out to student groups and club sports teams in hopes of getting 20 to 30 students who can raise money for their organizations by passing out fliers.
Once the educational campaign ends, officers will begin booting or impounding bikes found in the arcades, said Stanford police Chief Laura Wilson. Violators will then have to pay an administrative service fee and register their bike before it is returned to them.
Emergency responders, as well as service vehicles and golf carts with special permits, will be allowed to use the access drives on either side of the Main Quad. Golf carts carrying persons with disabilities and larger vehicles being used for certain special events also will be permitted in the Quad. "It is important that individuals that have vehicular access to the pedestrian zone—especially cart users—review the access map and take note of the designated cart routes and no parking zones," Hamilton said. "Although cart travel down Lasuen Mall and through White Plaza is not prohibited, cart operators are asked to use other routes whenever possible."