Ohio State University wants to make campus more pedestrian-friendly

Ohio State University is encouraging students and others to stay off their bicycles and skateboards while traversing the Oval, a central open space that symbolizes the Columbus campus for many. The Columbus Dispatch says the university is launching an information campaign to ensure that students understand traffic-safety rules and keep the Oval pedestrian-friendly. Signs will be posted around the Oval’s perimeter declaring the area a “walk zone.” The walk zone was among recommendations by the university’s Traffic Safety Task Force, created last year after a series of pedestrian, bicycle and motor-vehicle crashes. Bicycles are considered vehicles and must be on the road, not the sidewalks crossing the Oval.