Stories by Michelle Mason and Carolyn Wright

Even though cars are not allowed on the Frenger Mall walkway, pedestrians still have to be aware of bicyclists and skateboarders sharing the road. (Photo by Michelle Mason)

Even though campus is a relatively safe place while one makes his or her way around campus, in the scientific poll conducted by the New Mexico State University Journalism Department, 86 of the 243 poll respondents have witnessed or been involved in a accident with a motor vehicle.

“I feel OK. I always try to make sure when I cross the street to make eye contact with the person who is driving so that way they know to stop,” said Annie Rose Taylor, a senior Family and Child Science major.“But, I’ve seen students just walk out in front, and cars will have to slam on their breaks.”                                                        

                                                                                         – Michelle Mason

Jaywalkers are out and about

Jaywalking also seems to be the norm for getting around campus. Eighty-six percent of respondents said they frequently catch pedestrians failing to use designated crosswalks or signal lights.

“I have jay walked before, but it’s when I don’t see any traffic or the traffic is stopped,” Rachael Currier, a senior psychology major, said.

Campus opinion

The New Mexico Journalism 484 Public Opinion and Propaganda class conducted the poll concerning transportation and accidents occurring on campus during the week of Oct. 26 – 28. The class received a total of 243 telephone responses from NMSU faculty, staff and students responses. The poll had a plus or minus 6 percent sampling error.

More questions to be answered

Story by Carolyn Wright

A large percentage of students, faculty and staff at New Mexico State University said they use walking as their primary mode of transportation on campus in a poll sponsored by the NMSU Journalism Department released last month.

Questions and responses

When asked, “When you are walking on campus, which one of the following do you feel you are most likely to be in an accident with?” students, faculty and staff chose from bicycles, skateboards or motorists.  The most popular response on campus was “bicycles.”

Fifty-eight respondents polled at NMSU answered “very frequently” when asked, “How frequently do you see pedestrians failing to use designated crosswalks or signal lights?”  And when asked “Which group has the most difficult time getting around on the NMSU campus?” the majority of those polled answered “pedestrians.”

Who is most affected

“I definitely feel pedestrians have a difficult time getting around on campus.  I always feel like I’m going to get hit by a skateboarder when they fly by me,” said Hollie Flynn, a NMSU sophomore majoring in small business management.
This poll was a random sample of the campus population  contacted by telephone.  Two hundred and forty-three people at New Mexico State University participated in this poll.

The sampling error for this poll was calculated at plus or minus 6 percent.