Public Safety is watching faculty, staff and student’s driving speed a bit more intensely as the school year begins.
Over the summer, a speed radar system was set up at the North Haven campus to monitor how fast operators are driving.
The system detects an approaching driver’s speed and displays it. If the driver’s speed is over the speed limit, the system will flash with red and blue strobe lights, similar to a Public Safety officer’s vehicle. Right now, the radar system is preset with a limit of 15 mph.
Public Safety Training Officer Bradley Bopp said there have been complaints at the North Haven campus from faculty, staff and students about people speeding.
“There’s people who jog, walk, use crosswalks,” Bopp said. “We needed to get this out there to let people know there is a speed limit and they need to drop that mile an hour down a little bit and look out for others.”
Bopp said officers at the North Haven campus will move the radar system to different locations once a week, posting it in places like the entrance of the campus and at the parking garage exits. The system can be hooked up to a vehicle and towed to a location.
“I definitely think that the speed limit being enforced does make me much more cautious of my speed because it is a small campus with not that many stop signs around,” said junior occupational therapy major Elizabeth Rinkovsky. “It’s a small campus so it does make it safer, but it’s hard to attain that speed because you’re so used to going at least 25 mph.”
As of now, Public Safety officers are giving verbal warnings, however, Bopp said drivers going over the speed limit will eventually start getting ticketed.
Bopp said the system does not take photographs of vehicles or automatically ticket drivers going over the speed limit. Officers will be posted throughout the campus and would need to visually see a speeding infraction to take a course of action. Public Safety officers have the authority to ticket drivers for speeding within the campus community, Bopp said.
“We’re trying to suggest that people make time in the morning leave a little early so you’re not rushing to try to get there so quick,” Bopp said.
For students that live on one of the other two Quinnipiac campuses, this feat isn’t too simple.
“It’s really hard when your classes start at 8:45 a.m. five days a week,” Rinkovsky said. “It takes about 13 minutes taking the back roads when I leave even before 8:00 a.m. during the week. I’m nervous to take the highway since there’s usually traffic of people going into New Haven which makes the trip even longer.”
Students and staff have already been made aware of the new system.
“I’m happy to hear that the cameras will not automatically be ticketing my car if I happen to be a mile or two over the speed limit, but it still feels unnecessary to have officers posted throughout the campus,” said junior nursing student Emily Chmura. “Most students that have classes at North Haven are upperclassmen or graduate students so you would think these are older people who are more aware of their driving.”
Public Safety plans to set up speed radar systems on the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses in the future.
