Rice Students, Cyclists Call For Safer Intersection Near Campus

HOUSTON, TX — One intersection near the campus of Rice University is the site where two cyclists have been killed over the last 18 months. Now cyclists and Rice students alike are calling for better safety measures by the city at this intersection.

A few dozen students and cyclists gathered with signs at the Sunset and Main intersection calling for safety upgrades. Last week Sudipta Roy, the wife of a Rice community member, was killed by a dump truck making a turn.

Houston Police accident investigators said Roy had just left a lunch date with her husband when the dump truck hit her from behind. The bicyclist and the dump truck were turning right when the fatal accident happened.

Rice professor Dr. Marjorie Corcoran was struck and killed by a METRO rail train at the same spot while cycling in February 2017.

“We felt that was the call to action. We couldn’t just do nothing in response,” Mary Natoli, a Rice University graduate student, told KHOU in a report. “We had to call attention to the dangers that we experience and let the university and let the city of Houston know that our students don’t feel safe getting to school.”

Those calling for better safety measures say the intersection is too wide, making it take too long to cross, and that it needs to be re-designed to better protect all users.

The city has approved a conceptual design, according to Houston Public Works, but construction can't begin until the city approves a finalized plan.

Photo by Scott McDonald/Patch