UW Transportation Services held a student forum Friday to address issues of safety for UW-Madison pedestrians on campus.
Jason Tikalsky, a UW-Madison student, said the dominance of pedestrians on campus makes him feel safe when walking.
Victoria Pulse, a UW-Madison student and SAFEwalk employee, agreed, said she feels it is riskier driving a car with all the pedestrians on campus.
""Being a driver is so hard,"" she said. ""I'm so surprised that, now, seeing the other side of it, we do not have more casualties.""
Most at the meeting agreed bikes and mopeds seem to present an even greater danger than cars.
""When I'm on campus, I take more heed when I see a moped coming than a car because I know that they don't really care to stop,"" Pulse said. ""I feel they are a little more aggressive than a car just because they can weave [through traffic].""
According to UW-Madison students, citizens and Transportation Services representatives present at the meeting, bikers and those around them often do not know proper regulations.
""We could do a little more about informing people of exactly what you do when you see a biker in the road acting as a car,"" Pulse said.
Another main concern of Transportation Services was the ability of Madison residents to receive the full extent of services.
Transportation Services is in charge of Madison Metro bus passes, some on-campus bus services and SAFEcab. Tikalsky admitted that as a student, he is aware of these conveniences but not the fact that Transportation Services provides them.
""Transportation Services sets them up, but never presents themselves as their own service,"" Tikalsky said.
Casey Jones, director of transportation at the University of Colorado-Boulder, told the crowd their constructive feedback would be considered when implementing changes.
""Customer service is important to us and we're really trying to think of ways to make things better,"" Jones said.
Transportation Services is currently under review from an outside board. The comments and suggestions from students and citizens who attended the meeting, and observations of campus made by the board members will be considered in their examination.
