BYU police are discouraging jaywalking and promoting pedestrian safety one step at a time.
College students have a lot on their plates: homework, exams and dating app matches, to name a few. Sidewalk safety does not always make it to the top of the list, but Lt. George Besendorfer said students could benefit from being more conscientious as they walk around campus.
“In my 36 years, some of the worst things I have seen are from people either jaywalking and getting hit by a car or the car ignoring or being distracted,” Besendorfer said.
He said the problem affects people of every age, from young children to grown adults.
BYU is private property, Besendorfer said, which means some traffic rules are different here than they are on public land.
“Private property can do some things that are a little different,” Besendorfer said. “For example, we have it set up on campus so that you can ride your bikes on the sidewalks, whereas down in Provo that’s kind of frowned upon.”
For issues like pedestrian law and jaywalking, however, BYU has tried to maintain practices similar to those found in Utah state law, Besendorfer said.
“Between adjacent intersections at which traffic-control signals are in operation, a pedestrian may not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk,” Utah State Code § 41-6a-1003 states.
Pedestrians may also not cross diagonally unless authorized by a traffic-control device, according to the section. Violations of the law are considered infractions under Utah state law.
Besendorfer said he believes students have no idea how many designated crosswalks there are on campus.
Campus Drive winds around the perimeter of BYU campus. This road alone has more than 22 crosswalks. It is one area where BYU police are trying to make pedestrian safety a priority.
A common spot for jaywalking is the crosswalk outside the Life Sciences Building on BYU campus. Public health master’s student Clara Bradford said she thinks students jaywalk here because they don’t see heavy traffic.
“This road is not very busy, so I think a lot of people don’t really worry about jaywalking because there are often not many cars,” Bradford said.
Besendorfer said officers’ presence on campus is often enough to discourage student jaywalking and that he prefers preventing infractions to writing citations.
“Officers prefer to talk to students and encourage them to follow the rules rather than issue a citation,” Besendorfer said.
However, if a student is issued a citation, they can always engage in an appeal process, Besendorfer said.
“If they get a citation, there is a date and time on there that they could go, see and talk to a judge to plead their case,” Besendorfer said.
Those who receive a citation from BYU police will not be reported to the Honor Code office, Besendorfer said.
“Those two are totally independent,” Besendorfer said.
Besendorfer encouraged students to stay street-savvy and be aware of their surroundings as they travel.
“I’ve seen people walk into poles or step off curbs and hurt their ankles because they’re studying for something or texting,” Besendorfer said.
He also encouraged students not to be afraid to get in touch with the police if they have concerns. Their biggest goal is to help students stay safe.
“We’re here to help,” Besendorfer said. “It doesn’t even have to be a police matter; just let us know and we’ll get you to the right place and the resources you need, whatever the case might be.”