From The Editor’s Desk: Loyola Needs to Address Safety on Sheridan

A student was hospitalized during the early class rush Tuesday morning after being struck by a CTA bus at the intersection of West Sheridan Road and North Kenmore Avenue, The Phoenix reported. 

We’re praying the student is okay and reflecting on how Tuesday’s incident makes it clearer than ever that something needs to be done about safety along West Sheridan Road. The busy throughway cuts right through the heart of the Lake Shore Campus, with vehicles barreling down it at high speeds at nearly all times of day. 

The university needs to step in and involve itself in a process to change something about the corridor — be it lower speed limits, speed bumps or a total reconfiguration of the road. 

The current arrangement — where North Chicago residents who are fresh off speeding down North DuSable Lakeshore Drive cascade around the curve at literal breakneck speeds only to meet packs of students waiting to cross the street — is no longer acceptable. 

Students have enough to worry about in class without needing to fret over the safety of getting there. Foot traffic from the residence halls on the south side of campus to where most classes are held on the north side is at the point of being untenable when colliding with rush-hour traffic.

The increased visibility for crosswalks brought on by the university’s brick painting project a few years back was a good first step, but drivers are still not cognizant enough of crossing students. While the idea of building a bridge across the road which was published in last week’s Phoenix may be outside the realm of reality, Loyola needs to adopt that inventive spirit and start thinking outside the box.

The situation is arguably worse where North Sheridan Road intersects with West Devon Avenue and North Broadway. Drivers carrying on from West Sheridan Road to North Sheridan Road often speed underneath the L tracks, ignoring the stop light outside the Chase Bank branch. Meanwhile, students and other pedestrians who are abiding by the walk signals are put in harm’s way. 

While there may not be an immediate and catch-all fix, the process of preventing the next West Sheridan traffic fatality cannot wait.