Родители студентов требуют экстренных мер безопасности на шоссе 544 после гибели пешехода

CONWAY — Every day, some 50,000 vehicles stream along S.C. Highway 544. And for each one of those while Coastal Carolina University classes are in session, Lisa Jones is terrified. "This is not how you want to send your son to college. At this point, I don't even want him there, and I think a lot of parents feel the same way," Jones said. In the wake of an Aug. 16 hit-and-run that claimed the life of Coastal student Kalina Trent — who was crossing Highway 544 where it meets Elvington Loop — demands for enhanced pedestrian safety measures have rekindled. Jones launched an online petition two days after the deadly incident that has garnered nearly 1,500 signatures. Building a pedestrian overpass Plans are in place for construction of a $12 million overpass spanning the highway, but there's no established timeline. In the days since the crash, hundreds of Coastal parents and students have demanded aggressive short-term safety measures as construction looms on the eventual pedestrian overpass. Coastal President James Winebrake outlined the immediate steps being taken in a social media post: - Meeting with state transportation officials to launch a traffic safety action plan for the Highway 544 corridor between U.S. Highway 501 and Singleton Ridge Road - Installing three illuminated pedestrian safety signs - Installing additional lighting along Highway 544 — a dozen are already in place and two more are in progress Fixes have been explored in the past. In 2021, state transportation officials and Coastal floated the idea of a barrier that would separate Highway 544's four lanes to prevent jaywalking. Plans included a concrete median with tall fencing on top of it from Carter Lane and Elvington Loop. That would have forced pedestrians to use crosswalks. Those changes also would have prevented vehicles from making U-turns along that section of S.C. 544, instead forcing northbound drivers to take the bulb turnout past Founders Drive or southbound drivers to use a loop along West Cox Ferry Road. Currently, there is no stoplight installed at the intersection of West Cox Ferry Road and Highway 544. Yet another student death Trent was the third student killed crossing that section of Highway 544 since 2012. Multiple others have been injured. It's particularly hazardous because the main campus is on one side of the highway and student housing and nearby bars are on the other. For MaryEllen Bielawa, the Aug. 16 crash that injured two Coastal Carolina University students brought back painful memories. Nearly a decade after her son’s death on the same road, she’s still pleading for safety improvements. Coastal parent Tim Peters suggests more be done, including putting in elevated sidewalks, lowering the speed limit to 25 mph along the entire Coastal corridor and having dedicated nighttime police enforcement. "President Winebrake’s willingness to address this issue is a vital starting point, but words must be backed by concrete structural and operational updates," Peters said. Some parents suggested Coastal run evening shuttles to designated stops, while others have said they've purchased family rideshare plans. As construction continues to boom along both major highways, Tim Davis suggested that Conway and Horry County officials seek funding from developers to offset public safety costs. "When the dorms and off campus apartments are built, they know these kids will be walking or riding a bike. Why not make an escrow account like a impact fee or a zoning district for sidewalk, walk over bridges and barrier upgrades as these developments are being built," he said. ShawnMarie Haas' son was a friend and classmate of Trent. "As a parent, this has hit very close to home," she said. "In the almost four years that my son has been a student at CCU, I cannot remember one year that hasn't had at least one or more students involved in some sort of pedestrian incident." Jones said she often tracks her son's movements through an app and checks in with him multiple times a day. "In the evenings, you're just in an utter panic," she said. "This is insane. We're waiting for a bridge over people's lives? We're talking life and death now." 'This is too many times' State Rep. Tim McGinnis, R-Carolina Forest, chairs Horry County's legislative delegation and said he's been in contact with Winebrake about the safety problems on Highway 544. "It seems to me that DOT is moving as quickly as they can right now," McGinnis told The Post and Courier. "I told them if that there's anything we can do to try to speed things up to get the pedestrian walkway built, great. I like the idea of more signs, some more lighting over there. I just think it's tragic. ... This is too many times. We know there's an issue there. We've got to make sure the kids are aware that is a dangerous, busy highway." If Coastal continues growing, McGinnis said the campus will need additional pedestrian facilities, not only for Highway 544 but potentially for Highway 501, too. Another student was killed crossing that road in 2015. The dangers of Highway 544 hit home for McGinnis, whose daughter attends neighboring Horry-Georgetown Technical College. She's around the same age as many Coastal students. "She goes to some of the same places those kids go to," McGinnis said. "I just tell her, 'Be so careful, especially trying to cross that road.'" Charles Perry contributed to this report.