VCU Police promise ramped up pedestrian safety efforts

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia Commonwealth University Police are expanding pedestrian safety efforts.

It follows a rise in crashes involving pedestrians, including a few near VCU’s campus.

On Thursday, a woman in a wheelchair was hit by a car while crossing at the intersection of Belvidere and Leigh streets.

VCU Police Chief Clarence Hunter said the initiatives include adding curb extensions to eight new intersections, using red light cameras and increasing the amount of time pedestrians have to cross in crosswalks.

“It gives the people in the roadway a little bit more time to get out in front of the vehicles so that the light doesn’t turn green and the walk symbol doesn’t pop up at the same time,” Hunter said.

Hunter said VCU police recently doubled the size of their traffic unit from two to four officers.

Since January, VCU Police have been running a program called Operation Safer Streets. In seven weeks, officers issued 1,279 summons — roughly two-thirds the number issued over the entire previous academic year (1,774 summons).

Traffic Officer Kynneath Moss said enforcement has focused on specific corridors near campus.

“A big area that we’ve been really honing in on is Cary and Belvidere,” Moss said. “Speed is a big thing, running red lights, as well,” Moss said.

VCU Police are also focusing efforts on encouraging pedestrians to follows the rules of the road and pay attention to their surroundings.

Since the 2024 fall semester, posters have hung around campus reading “Heads up, Phones Down.” The department also plans to have it’s officers dress up like referees again, throwing out red or green flags depending on the pedestrians behavior.

VCU student Leyanna Dean said it’s students causing the close calls on the roads just as much as the drivers.

“It’s a lot of jaywalking, I’m not going to lie. We have places to be, people to see,” VCU Student Leyanna Dean said. “Knowing that you’ll get honked at, almost hit — it’s just like, once you see that, it’s like, let me lock in and be aware of where I’m actually going."

Dean said she supports the increased enforcement.

“I definitely see a lot of people running lights and stuff, so I think that would help,” Dean said.

In the fall, the police department started a new program to get students more involved in the safety conversation, too, through the “Student Voice Committee.” Chief Hunter said 20 students are currently apart of it.