October is the deadliest month for pedestrians in Texas according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
“October is when we start seeing shorter days and less light in the mornings and evenings and that can make it more challenging for drivers to see pedestrians,” TxDOT PIO Antonio Lujan said in a written interview with The Star.
TxDOT announced Texas has seen a 22% increase in pedestrian traffic fatalities over the past five years. San Marcos had five confirmed pedestrian fatalities in 2023, and there have been 17 traffic crashes involving pedestrians with five resulting in serious injury as of January 2024 in San Marcos, according to TxDOT.
Cesar Caballero, communications specialist for the city of San Marcos, said in a written interview with The Star San Marcos created a regional Safety Action Plan, in partnership with Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to focus on equal investment in underserved communities.
“[This plan] aims to reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes while improving transportation systems for all users including pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation users and drivers,” Caballero said.
For pedestrian safety during Halloween week, the San Marcos Police Department encourages people to use flashlights, glow sticks, wear reflective clothing and stay on the sidewalks or crosswalks.
Timothy Mo, computer information systems senior, has lived in a house between Sessom Drive and North LBJ for about a year and has to walk up and down the bike lane along Sessom to get to class. Mo said the bike lane is unprotected but it’s his only option.
“Adding the bike lane was good, but it’s unprotected,” Mo said. “With the traffic that’s ripping up and down that hill, it’s terrifying. Since there’s no crosswalk, you have to look both ways and bolt across, hoping that you don’t get run over by a car or bus.”
Madeline Azachio, communication studies freshman, said pedestrian or bike lanes near the campus do not prioritize pedestrian safety. Azachio rides a scooter down Guadalupe Street and West Woods Street using the pedestrian or bike lane often, and almost got into an accident.
“A car was traveling north on Guadalupe and turned right into West Concho while I was on a scooter in the pedestrian lane,” Azachio said. “I realized he wasn’t going to stop, so I jumped off my scooter and the driver ended up hitting the scooter. It was very scary.”
Azachio said San Marcos and Texas State should increase the pedestrian signs for drivers and there should be more pedestrian hybrid beacons and crosswalks around Guadalupe Street, West Woods Street and Commanche Street.
TxDOT is conducting its “Be Safe. Drive Smart.” campaign in October as part of National Pedestrian Safety Month to call on pedestrians and drivers to ensure safety. In addition, Lujan wrote TxDOT observes intersections for factors that might need increased safety efforts.
“We monitor intersections to ensure pavement markings are visible and add signs, crosswalks and pedestrian signals where there is a higher percentage of foot traffic, as well as safety lighting,” Lujan wrote.
The city of San Marcos also received a $897,000 grant to improve the intersection of Thorpe Lane and Springtown Way from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), which was initially for pedestrian safety improvements along Thorpe Lane. While this recommendation changed to signalization, these improvements also include crosswalks and pedestrian push buttons to make it more accessible.
According to Cabellero, many Capital Improvement Projects include making improvements for pedestrian safety and connectivity, including Sessom Drive and Hopkins Street.
Rohit Vij, San Marcos senior project engineer, said safety improvements are an ongoing process and there’ll always be a few intersections in San Marcos where safety is a concern.
“We look into what major intersections require any safety improvements, and we either apply for the grants, or if it’s a serious issue, we try to implement ourselves in a timely manner,” Vij said.
Mo said the attempts for pedestrian safety in San Marcos have seemed low effort.
“I enjoy living in San Marcos because I don’t have to drive everywhere, and I feel like that should be more accessible to people that don’t live next to the university,” Mo said. “I think the city can allocate more of the budget to pedestrian safety like adding sidewalks, crosswalks and creating a protected bike lane or pedestrian walkway.”
