For years, the Behrend community has dealt with Jordan Road running through campus. As the college has expanded to the southeast side of the road, questions about safety for students crossing the road has been a growing concern. The leaders of Penn State Behrend have been examining potential solutions to the issues surrounding Jordan Road, but due to the angle of the road, the most viable option at this time is to close off Jordan Road to vehicles.

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On Wednesday, the Harborcreek Township supervisors hosted a forum to discuss Jordan Road with members of the Behrend community and Harborcreek residents who live on the road. This was meant to be a gauge of how the community would react to the idea of closing off the road and to hear any ideas about what could be done to reduce risks when crossing or driving on the road. At the meeting, Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, opened by noting that the college is going to continue to grow. With this in mind, he pointed out that the students and faculty of Behrend contribute significantly to the local economy, including those businesses and employees in Knowledge Park.

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The college’s master plan is to increase the number of students enrolled at Behrend to about 6,000, so the issue of congestion on campus is only expected to worsen. It was also noted that the issue with Jordan Road is generally the steepness, as it creates visibility issues and trouble stopping, especially during the winter months. Additionally, crosswalks cannot be installed because they would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act due to the angle of the road.

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Behrend has already tried to lessen the impact of pedestrians around campus by forging a relationship with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) in order to offer a shuttle around campus. They are also working on increasing visibility around campus, including around Jordan road, by putting in more streetlights and switching to LED lights. Generally, the Behrend administration acknowledges that the biggest challenge here is the geography of campus.

 

Tyler Dulaney, a junior mechanical engineering major and the Chief of Staff of the Student Government Association (SGA), gave remarks at the beginning of the forum. Several other members of SGA were also in attendance to represent the student body and to listen to the concerns of the residents.

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“Even though this might be new to us, they have grudges. It’s hard to change people’s minds,” Dulaney said after the forum. “Hopefully our biggest goal now isn’t to completely change their minds, but for them to acknowledge our concerns and respect those.”

 

Harborcreek residents were able to voice their concerns about the road and ask the Behrend administration questions regarding the issue. Several residents expressed that students need to be sure to look before they cross the street. Many residents also claimed that the majority of drivers on Jordan Road are students, so the problem mostly lies with student drivers, rather than residents. One resident suggested flattening the road, and several asked for a bridge to be built. The Behrend administration countered by saying that they have looked at those options, and more, but have found flaws, both in execution and cost.

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“I totally get where the school is coming from,” commented Ellen Jaskiewicz, a junior biology major and a lifelong resident of Jordan Road. “Everyone crossing is part of our school, we’re trying to protect them.” She also noted that there has been an increase in foot traffic during her lifetime, but that she has never felt unsafe, either as a driver or a pedestrian, while on the road.

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Michael Royer, a freshman computer science major, explained that crossing Jordan Road is, “a little scary, especially in the steeper part of the hill, and especially when it is raining. Sometimes people just don’t care.” He also commented that having to drive around or walk up the hill to Burke would be an inconvenience. Francesco Corso, a sophomore software engineering major, said that it can be hard crossing right at Burke sometimes because people don’t necessarily stop. Students who attended the forum expressed similar concerns.

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The general consensus among the Harborcreek residents is that students must be aware and use caution when crossing the road. They asked the administration about ways to educate students on how to properly cross the road in order to minimize risk. Those representing the college responded by saying that safety is stressed on campus, whether that be during freshman orientation, in the residence halls or through emails sent out to students.

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In the meantime, there may be tests done with closing to road to see if it would have any unforeseen consequences. This may include closing the road for certain parts of the day or week.

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Joe Peck, one of the three Harborcreek supervisors, commented that if there was an easy solution, then the issue would have been resolved already. Due to the complicated nature of the issue, the three parties involved, the Behrend community, Harborcreek residents and the Harborcreek supervisors, are going to have to work together to find a solution to this growing problem.