Coastal's Speed Tables: Are they making our campus safer?

If you have ever been around Coastal Carolina’s campus, you are familiar with the speed tables around campus that are designed to make drivers slow down and be more aware of the pedestrians that walk around this beautiful campus.

However, there have been times when those speed tables have done more harm than help.

It was my first Uber ride. We were on our way to Cookout, and it was almost ten o'clock. The driver was passing the main shuttle station, but he did not see the speed table. Suddenly, we flew. We made it to Cookout safely, but whether the driver’s car was damaged or not was a question I have been asking myself.

In that moment, I realized how much safer it would be if Coastal Carolina were to put up signs, warning drivers of the upcoming speed tables.

Captain Thomas Mezzapelle of the University’s Public Safety Department talked about the history of the speed tables and went into detail about their purpose on campus.

“There have been three speed tables put on this campus within the last five years, with the most current speed table being put in about 18 months ago,” said Mezzapelle. “We have not had a lot of problems with the speed tables at this point. They have been designed by the state and built under contract for us. When it comes to a driver’s awareness of the speed tables, they have been marked the way the state says they are supposed to be marked with reflected lights on them to show the angle up in that area. There is a contrast between the facing of it and the top of the table so it has a different look to it, so it should be visible.”

Mezzapelle also mentions how the speed limit went down when the speed tables were added in. At least once a year, they have been checked and monitored when they should be redone. A major problem with redoing them is shutting down traffic on campus for a period of time.

Senior Ashley Simmons-Nesbit says she drives every day on campus, and she sometimes does forget about the speed tables at night.

“You’ll definitely feel it,” said Simmons-Nesbit. “I feel that some cars would keep going if the speed tables were not there. I do feel that the University should put up more caution signs because cars really do go fast through this campus.”

If anything, the facilities and administration, Board of Trustees and executive council would have to be the ones to decide on whether signs should be put up because of rules and regulations on campus on which signs they put up and where.

For now, pay attention to the speed limit signs and slow down when you see a pedestrian walking.