The start of the school year brings construction and the use of the new Barret Residence Hall on Campus Court, a street that is now more dangerous for students to cross than it has ever been and where parking spaces are scarce.

Because of the lack of crosswalks, students crossing Campus Court to and from Barret Hall and those driving the street must be extremely careful, driving slowly and paying attention at all times.

These traffic risks are not limited only to university students, but the entire neighborhood. Anyone who walks across Campus Court at any point during the day is in danger of being hit by an automobile. All it would take for someone to get killed or injured is an oblivious driver and someone walking out from behind a car that is parked on the side of the road.

In November of 2003, Allison Poole was hit by a pick-up truck while crossing Campus Court from the parking lot near the old Copy Stop.

This accident happened before construction on Campus Court even began. This fall semester, with construction heightened and the new residence hall housing more than 100 sophomore women, students are at an even greater risk of traffic accidents that could result in serious injury or death.

Sophomore women who are residents in Barret, now free of curfew, can come and go as they please at all times, which will bring them home late to find few, if any, parking spots available. Thus, they will have to park farther away from the hall and walk, which is unsafe, especially at night. Students should avoid returning home late at night alone and always park in well-lit areas.

Residents should also be careful when crossing the dusty and broken Campus Court, and adequate crosswalks need to be installed in front of the hall as soon as possible.

Barret Hall, along with Adams and Smith halls, are near residential areas and while most of the surrounding areas of campus are occupied by students, the streets are not completely safe.

With help from students and from the university, the safety issue on Campus Court can be taken care of.

Respond to the editorial at: optimist@acu.edu