By Alana Brooks
Assistant Opinion Editor
I have night classes three nights a week. Walking back to my car late at night after class, I can’t help but fear the boardwalk connecting from Parking Garage 3 to the main campus by Whitaker Hall. My paranoid mind can’t stop thinking of the worst–a masked man hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce.
I know it may seem extreme. But a large portion of the boardwalk is completely dark. Only one side of the boardwalk has lights on it, and for the first few weeks of the semester, a good amount of them weren’t working. Although the lights have been fixed, I still feel like the boardwalk could be much safer
Besides the lack of lights, the boardwalk also deems unsafe after it rains–which happens around here all the time. The planks are uneven in many places and the entire boardwalk gets slippery when it gets wet- begging for someone to fall. Sometimes, people do.
FGCU junior Leann Chipman was riding her scooter to class one morning after it had rained in the middle of the night.
“I did wipe out,” Chipman said. “I had a bruise on my hip.”
I’m sure Chipman isn’t the only one that has experienced an accident on the boardwalk. Obviously, it’s time for an upgrade.
To combat night-time hazards, there should be a second set of lights on the dark side of the boardwalk. If not that, the lights should alternate sides so both sides have some type of lighting.
There should be grip tape on each of the planks to combat the slickness after the rainy days and dewy mornings. Grip tape, often used on stairs and skateboards, is designed to increase tread on slippery surfaces. Its coarse texture would nearly eliminate the threat of slipping and falling.
I don’t know how more lighting would be installed, or how long it would take, or who would be responsible for maintaining the grip tape on the planks. For now, the only advice I can give my fellow students is this- watch your step.