Cars Come behind You

By Kirby Loi

A new traffic rule has been set on the road students go everyday. Students must be most careful when going to the International Library as cars may come from behind.

New Umac map

However, many students are not aware of the changed traffic arrangement. "No, I know nothing about it," a Year 2 student majoring in Economics, Chris Chan answered. The two-way road (the upper-inner road) along the right side of the administrative building to the library was changed to a one-way road at the beginning of the semester.

Under the new rule, cars can only go straight to the inner parking in the Luso-Chinese Building, or follow the hill-side road to the library. The sentry box, which used to be in front of Block I, has been moved downward to the circle where the upper-inner road starts.

Sarah Hong, a Year 4 student majoring in English Communication, said humorously, "As Umac is on a hill, I hope the University can consider constructing a cable-car from the bus stop to TP classrooms or nearby so that we can go to campus conveniently and comfortably."

"In my opinion, it would be safer if the University could build a zebra-crossing on the road leading to the library," A Year 4 student majoring in Contemporary China Studies, Iris Dou said.

Umac has more and more students. A large number of them use the upper-inner road from the main campus to the library where many classes are held. Dou said that the new traffic rule might overlook the safety issue of students. Cars coming from behind may be a safety threat to students who do not pay proper attention to the traffic. It is dangerous that cars and students using the same lane as the pedestrian road is very narrow. Students often walk or even run in the car lane if they rush to classes, Dou added.

"Students themselves must be more careful when walking to the library," Secretary of Department of Engineering, Susana Lin Rodriguez explained. "There are two security guards on duty simultaneously," she added.

To solve the problem, a Year 1 student majoring in Marketing, Ken Wong suggested that the University should widen the pedestrian road, and put up some specific instructions for students and car drivers.