Jordan Gerard/Winonan

When Kyle Strand started a petition to make crosswalks and pedestrian safety better in Winona following an accident involving a student at Winona State University, he did not realize the amount of change he would create.

Approximately 1,600 signatures later, the senior public relations student said he is happy to see students caring about the cause and is excited to see the change it can create.

Below is the Winonan’s formatted interview with Strand on the topic of crosswalk safety and  his motivation behind the petition

Q: Why did you start the petition? 

A: There was a girl named Britney who got hit on Broadway walking [to friends’ house] one night. That was the freshest occurrence. So I was like, “OK, probably one or two nights ago I almost hit someone, and then I’ve almost been hit.” Driving at night anywhere, there’s just not very many lights at all.

We learn about petitions in class and about other things that gain momentum. I just started typing up. I started off with everything I had in mind and organized it into ideas. And I figured they would need some sort of “fix it” plan, so I just threw out some ideas. I put it out on the Winona State Class of 2016 page, my Facebook page, my Twitter, all the social media outlets, and then I just kind of let it go. And I think in 12 hours it got to 800 to 900 signatures. And then 1,200, and now I think it’s close to 1,600, the last time I looked. I basically started it because I wouldn’t want to hit someone and feel bad for the rest of my life, and I wouldn’t want to see anyone else get hit either. At this point I figured, “Yeah, give it a go.”

Everyone just did what they could. It’s not like they had to a lot. It’s just share it or go tell someone about it. I had a bunch of shares on the Facebook page. People tagged other people and posted, “Hey, sign this.” I’m glad it got to what did with all the signatures. I’m really happy now that they’re collaborating on it.

Q: What do you think about the lighting situation around campus or around Winona?

A: I would say around campus is better than the surrounding area. It still could be a lot safer. There’s a lot of orange light. Orange light is not as bright; it casts a lot of shadows. More risk for student safety.

I would just say around campus, do more white light. You can see from 50 yards away. You can see the pedestrians, not when they’re 20 feet in front of you and you have to slam on your brakes. So around campus, there’s so many students that cross over Sarnia, Huff, Broadway, Main [streets]; there’s just so much foot traffic. And cars are parked down the side too. That’s hard to see pedestrians on the intersection corners.

Otherwise, around Winona, I’d say it’s even worse. There’s unmarked intersections that don’t have lights; they have lights every other block. There’s big black holes, you could call them, there’s just no light at all and it’s just kind of eerie too. It’s got to start somewhere.

Q: Do you walk to campus? 

A: I do. I did more in the starting of the year. Sometimes if I have to go to work or class, I’ll drive, but I’ve walked to campus plenty of times. I walked a lot when I lived closer last year. And even just leaving the library at night and coming three or four blocks, it’s like you’re just looking down every street, and you just want to make sure that no one’s coming.

And it’s kind of eerie too. A lot of people said on the petition, too, they didn’t feel safe walking home. I almost got hit; someone said they’ve been hit. It’s been a pretty big shockwave. Everyone just kept sharing it and sharing it, so it’s gained a lot of speed.

Q: What do you think people can do to walk safer? 

A: It is both ways. Pedestrians do need to look. Hopefully [cars] have headlights. Look and don’t just assume. As a pedestrian you want to protect yourself and at least look both ways. In the petition it talks about light-up cross walks and flashing pedestrian signs, anything to catch the driver’s eye. So if we can get it passed, all those things help.

But just walk safer in general too. I know some people who put a reflector on their backpack. If you’re biking, they have reflectors too. [Bikes] will shoot out faster than a person will. For the most part too, you have to be aware.

Q: What can drivers do?

A: Know where all the foot traffic is. If you’re coming around campus, you have to know there are kids there, constantly. From the library, caf, going to classes, you should know where most students cross and where roughly the most heavy traffic is. As far as the texting, distracted driving, you have to keep your head up and where you’re going. I would say most accidents are because of distracted driving. It’s like you have to look, and I know the intersections make it hard. Don’t cruise, don’t go 40 [mph], just maintain your speed. Until we get lights in the intersections to make it easier for drivers.