On and Off Campus Blog: A World Built For Cars, Not Pedestrians
By: Scarlett Chan-MacRae ’26
Earlier this winter, a new traffic light was added to the T-intersection between Sparks and Mt.
Auburn Street. This intersection is one that I take to school every day, and before, with a typical
T-intersection stop sign, the backup on Sparks Street was little to none. Cars on Mt. Auburn
Street were kind enough to just let me in and the process was quick overall. Now that the traffic
light has been added, Sparks Street typically has a line of cars waiting for it to turn green.
At first, I was annoyed. The traffic light didn’t seem necessary at all, and I felt it was just a waste
of time and materials. But then I thought about the situation from a pedestrian point of view. As
someone who really enjoys taking walks, the number of cars that actually stop behind the lines of
a stop sign is concerningly low. There have been so many occurrences where I’ve gone to step
onto a crosswalk and a car just pulls up out of nowhere, completely covering it.
I realized that a traffic light would just provide an extra layer of protection for pedestrians for
crossing the street. So much of the United States has been built for the efficiency of travel by car.
Although I spent the majority of my time as an adolescent dreaming of the day I would turn 16
and could finally sit in the driver’s seat of my mother’s car, I failed to appreciate the time I had to
enjoy walking. I’m fortunate enough to live in a walkable town. For all of elementary and middle
school, I would walk to and from my school every single day. While I did complain about it at
the time, these journeys proved to be a good break.
Now that life has only gotten busier, I haven’t found the time to go outside and appreciate the
simplicity of a walk. The only times I am really able to do this is my walk to my car after school
every day. Although it doesn’t last long, and the fast few months have been torturously cold, my
walks have become my favorite 10 minutes of the day. It’s my free time after school and before I
have to jump back into school work. My drive home is the furthest thing from relaxing: cars
honking left and right, and the majority of it sitting in traffic.
So, through this reflection, I’ve realized that I shouldn’t be salty about a traffic light being put
into an intersection. It’s okay to inconvenience a car for a few seconds to provide a safer path for
pedestrians. Everyone deserves to enjoy a simple walk in the safest manner possible.
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