Speeding is a prevalent issue on campus, especially on Meadow Brook Road near lot P1. The posted limit is 15 MPH, yet it is a common occurrence for drivers to exceed the speed limit and blow past students trying to use the cross walks — or even collide with pedestrians.
In December of 2023, the office of the OU Chief of Police released a statement that said the office “has responded to or learned of an increasing number of vehicle-pedestrian incidents on campus in recent weeks, including one that sent a student to the hospital for treatment of injuries.”
A solution was desperately needed to curb vehicle related incidents. In summer of 2025, a road resurfacing project was undertaken on Meadow Brook Road near lot P1, and a perfect opportunity arose for OUPD.
“So the process for implementation was the fact that we knew we had a road waste resurfacing project that was occurring this summer. And the best time to put those in is at the time that you are redoing the road,” Police Chief Marc Gordon of OUPD, said. “So we had looked at doing this for some time because of the speed in the area and the near misses from all those pedestrian crosswalks that we’ve had and experienced over the years. So we said: ‘if we’re going to do this, now’s the time’.”
Holden Hernandez, a sophomore commuter student, has experienced the road with and without speedbumps and gave his opinion on the situation.
“[The speedbumps] are positive, because they make me stop for pedestrians,” Hernandez said.
The reaction from students around campus has largely been positive, however the decision to include the speed bumps has been an internal decision by OUPD.
“It has been effective. It’s worked,” Chief Gordon said. “We had received input from students over the last two or three years, especially on the number of cars going by and which the speed they are going by.”
Some student leaders’ reactions have been more mixed than most commuters. Valentine Fayette-Étés, a legislator for Oakland University Student Congress, thinks that there are some improvements that need to be made in order for the campus to truly be safer.
“From what I’ve seen, people tend to not see the speed bumps most of the time, or just still go the same speed anyway,” Fayette-Étés said. “I don’t think that the speed bumps really changed the fact that drivers aren’t paying attention to the students on the street.”
Despite the mixed reactions from some students, OUPD is overall satisfied with their decision to add the speed bumps. Chief Gordon has confirmed that the speed bumps are the last road project of the year, but plan on more next year.
“We’ve got all the improvements for this year that we’re going to do. We may look at something else, more over by the Recreation Center next year — if roadway resurfacing gets approved,” Chief Gordon said.
