Pepperdine students and their cars have a special relationship.
Unlike the situation at many of the major universities around the country, here in Malibu there’s very little reachable by foot, and the public transportation offered by the university is limited, to say the least. If students have something they really need, or something they really want to do, chances are they are going to need a car to get it.
For this reason most students know the importance of taking care of the car they have, and expect the university to provide them with the proper terrain on which to do so.
And while Pepperdine has successfully paved all campus roads to ensure safe and hazard-free driving, there is one section that leaves a lot to be desired.
It is located on Huntsinger Circle when heading from the John Tyler Drive entrance of campus toward the law school. This section of road extends the length of Rho Parking on one side of the street. But chances are, if you drive a car, you already know where it is.
This length of road, stretching no more than 1000 feet, is the kind of road you’d expect to find driving down the streets of Tijuana, not Pepperdine.
It is broken, bumpy and terribly uneven. It’s a rough ride, not just for your friend’s VW Bug, but for vehicles of any size.
Notice the large number of drivers who have chosen, rather than brave this treacherous strip of asphalt, gravel and metal, to drive on the other side of the road towards oncoming traffic. Even Public Safety officers, in their state-of-the-art SUVs, have been spotted whipping over to the left side of the road rather than putting their passengers, themselves and their vehicles through this nerve-rattling experience.
The reason for the condition of the road is the school needed to install a temporary by-pass water line that pumps water to the Upper Campus Development site from our main water supply, which is under the asphalt. This is in order to meet fire department guidelines that require “live” fire hydrant protection in case of an emergency, especially on a site with lots of dry lumber.
But what about guidelines for safe driving while on campus? Where are those when we need them?
Dr. John Elliott, assistant vice president for construction, told the Graphic that the project is a high priority and that contractors are working at full speed, but explained that their schedule depends on the weather, as rain can cause delays.
Work on the vault by Rho Parking is scheduled to for completion March 1, but finished patch-up work for Huntsinger isn’t planned until the 21 of that month, and we probably won’t see asphalt until the April 5. Yep, that’s almost six weeks away.
And while the university says this is a “necessary inconvenience,” one must wonder the difference between a necessary inconvenience and a flat-out safety hazard.
Having to deal with the rumbling and screeching of a multi-ton construction vehicle out your dormroom window, that’s a necessary inconvenience. This is different.
Yes, it is only 0.2 miles worth of road, but as tuition — paying college students we are allowed some expectations. We should expect that the most frequently used road on campus is hazard free, and that we shouldn’t have to fear running into an oncoming car every time we pass by Rho parking.
Campus officials must either make the road less treacherous or give drivers some type of warning that cars may be temporarily driving in their lane when coming down Huntsinger Circle around the corner before Rho Parking. Sure, if everyone followed campus speed limits there really wouldn’t be any risk, but we all know that simply isn’t the case.
We can’t expect workers to sit their and hold reversible “Slow” and “Stop” signs 24 hours a day, so why not put up some kind of hazard sign until the patchwork is completed? Yes, it may take a little more work, and maybe even a little more money, but as the school says, it’s a necessary inconvenience.
February 21, 2002
