Major road reconstruction is in the works for MSU's campus throughout the next several years.
The removal of angled parking from West Circle Drive and the elimination of two traffic circles are among plans university officials are considering to help improve pedestrian safety and reduce accidents on campus beginning this summer.
"A lot of the layout hasn't been touched since the '60s," MSU police Deputy Chief Mike Rice said.
"It isn't fit for today's demands."
Tentative plans for West Circle Drive and finalized plans for Wilson Road were revealed Monday at a public feedback session held by the All-University Traffic and Transportation Committee, an advisory committee to Fred Poston, MSU's vice president for finance and operations.
But committee members and representatives were the only ones who attended the session.
"We would certainly like to hear more from the community," said Paul Mantica, the committee's chairman. "We hoped these sessions would allow them to give us some recommendations.
"We want to make sure people have the opportunities to hear about our plans."
With drafts on poster board, Rice, who also is a representative on the advisory committee, illustrated the work he hopes will take place on West Circle Drive during the session.
The removal of angled parking is designed to cut down on the number of accidents that result from drivers repeatedly circling around the loop in search of parking, Rice said, adding that West Circle Drive consistently has the highest concentration of accidents on campus.
Rice said angled parking poses a significant hazard when drivers take up a lane waiting for and leaving an open spot.
Jesus Castillo, a food industry management senior, parked his car in one of the West Circle Drive spots on Thursday. He said he likes the proximity of some of the current spaces to Agriculture Hall, where he spends a lot of class time.
"It seems like a lot of accidents can happen because you don't really see who's coming from around the corner when you're backing out," Castillo said.
With the angled parking gone, drivers will be able to use a seven-level parking ramp currently being constructed near Morrill Hall, with access from both campus and Grand River Avenue. The ramp is intended mainly for faculty and staff parking. More than 700 spaces will be available once it is completed.
On the south side of campus, the elimination of two traffic circles on Wilson Road will begin this summer, Mantica said.
The circle adjacent to the Veterinary Medical Center at Wilson Road and Bogue Street will be turned into a traditional stoplight intersection this summer.
The same will be done to the circle adjacent to the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at Wilson and Red Cedar roads, the following summer.
Special education junior Kara Spodarek waited for a ride near the traffic circle at Wilson and Red Cedar roads Thursday.
"I love driving on them because there's no stop — I just merge in whenever I want," Spodarek said. "But when I'm walking, it's a disaster."
Although Mantica agrees the circles' elimination might be inconvenient for traffic, he said the primary goal is safety.
Civil and environmental engineering Associate Professor Tom Maleck also was involved in the decision to remove them. Although he thinks there has not been enough formal research on traffic circles to prove they are more hazardous for pedestrians, he said his "intuition" says they are.
"Many accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians occur when the traffic turns right and only looks left," he said. "In a traffic circle, all turns are right."
