The University Police Department and the city of San Marcos are improving pedestrian and traffic safety.
San Marcos Police Department responded to it’s fifth fatal motor vehicle crash of 2025 on Sept. 3. The following day SMPD responded to another accident that was on IH-35.
“Prior to the Sept. 3 fatal crash, SMPD had increased traffic enforcement on IH-35 to target aggressive driving, and that effort will continue,” Nadine Cesak, communications and IGR manager for the city of San Marcos wrote in an email to The University Star. “SMPD reminds residents that it’s critical to make driving your priority by staying focused behind the wheel and following the law, including [the] city’s hands-free ordinance.”
San Marcos has had a decrease in fatal crashes since 2022 when there were 16. The city had an increase in total crashes with 1,364 motor vehicle crashes in 2024, the most out of the past 5 years.
“Driving is one of the most dangerous things we do each day, and as the population and traffic grow, the risks can increase,” Cesak wrote.
Orlando Gallegos, Travis South Area Engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said TxDOT promotes traffic safety campaigns that target contributing factors such as impaired driving.
“Crash data will vary from year-to-year. TxDOT reviews all fatal crashes, and safety is a key consideration in every project we undertake,” Gallegos stated in a written interview to The University Star. “We urge drivers to be safe, drive to conditions and buckle up every ride.”
UPD and Student Government co-direct a safe transit program for students. Bobcat Safe Rides is an on and off-campus ride service for students available all days of the week. According to UPD Chief Matthew Carmichael, the service updated to include Sunday evenings after student input.
“The number one program for pedestrian safety on campus or student safety on campus is Safe Rides,” Carmichael said.
Bobcat Safe Rides is making accessibility improvements. It has a wheelchair accessible golf cart, and for the first time, it will have wheelchair accessible Toyota Sienna vans in January, according to Carmichael.
“The program really is making sure students are getting from A to B safely as best we can with the resources we have,” Carmichael said.
One of UPD’s roles on campus is to monitor the need for pedestrian and traffic safety improvements by looking at the numbers of collisions, citations or traffic stops in a particular area before implementing a solution, according to Carmichael. This includes extending enforcement in areas where there are complaints or challenges, such as an increase in collisions.
“Statistically, our pedestrians are safe,” Carmichael said. “I know there was [a pedestrian collision] off campus, but I know we haven’t had one [on campus] this academic year.”
UPD, Facilities, Student Government and other Texas State community members will be identifying safety concerns on campus including dangers for pedestrians on the campus’s Safety Walk. The Texas State Campus Safety Committee is hosting the walk at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14.
“[The Safety Walk] has been beneficial each year because we are looking at the areas that may be poorly lit where pedestrians cross,” Carmichael said. “Which we’re in a pretty good spot right now. I don’t believe we have that.”
According to TxDOT, October is the deadliest month of the year for Texas pedestrians. In August, the city of San Marcos completed a traffic calming initiative with improvements for pedestrians and cyclists according to the Capitol Improvements Project list.
The project limits are Academy Street from Holland to Sessom Drive and Sessom Drive from Academy Street to North LBJ Drive. These improvements include painted, buffered bike lanes down Sessom Drive.
