Drew has several roads on campus, including Pepin Road, Campus Drive, Riker Road, Lancaster Road and Elm Street. However, not all of these are labeled. The lack of signage has proved to be problematic for delivery drivers and students alike and it is due time for some change.
While ordering food delivery to the dorms has always been popular, as a result of the pandemic, use of these services have become increasingly more common. One of these services, Uber Eats, experienced a 152 percent increase in revenue in 2020 according to Business of Apps. Other particularly popular delivery services for college students are DoorDash and GrubHub.
On a regular basis, students see delivery drivers on campus struggling to find a dorm hall or the location of delivery. Oftentimes, these same drivers flag down students for directions which are difficult to give, due to Drew’s winding roads and lack of signage. In recent campus history, there was an instance of a driver guiding their vehicle upgraduation path in the center of campus. Once it reached the peak to merge onto Riker Rd., the car had to back out the entire way down because the exit was blocked. This behavior can make students feel unsafe, as they may not want to interact with strangers and do not expect drivers on Graduation Path.
In order to eliminate unnecessary confusion and security concerns around campus, we need more signage indicating the major roads on campus. These could be posted at intersections and upon entering campus. This would not only be helpful for delivery drivers, but also for new students who may find the directions useful for finding buildings.
Although it seems like a minor detail, having these indications of major roads and general directions on campus would be helpful to students and the Madison community alike. It would alleviate the stress of delivery drivers and prevent students from losing the 30 bucks they spent on food when their Chipotle does not get delivered or gets them cold.
