Two pedestrian accidents in 1989 are the reason behind NIU and the city of DeKalb spending between $70 and $80,000.

NIU and the city have delved into a joint venture to curb pedestrian traffic along Normal Road. A major reason for the venture being twn pedestrians, of the 20,000 pedestrians who cross the street each day, were in separate accidents last year.

A two-foot barrier made of bushes and a limestone wall is supposed to inconvenience pedestrians enough so that they will not jaywalk. Granted, this will more than likely to do the job, but a car speeding down Normal Road is just as likely to do the same.

And dOes NIU have extra cash to spare on this blockade? Its budget for this fiscal year added 2 percent to faculty salaries. That was it. No more.

The Board of Regents is already asking for more money for next year. Tuition might be going up because, according to Board Chancellor Roderick Grovds, this year’s funding didn’t cover the rise in inflation. Still, NIU plans to foot more than 50 percent of the bill for the Normal Road project.

Normal Road also vill be much more beautiful, thanks to evdrgreens and other plants along sloped embankments. However, the King Memorial Commons, adjacent to Normal Road, plans to have plenty of trees. How much beauty can onE area take?

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on shrubbery and limestone, NIU and the city might try a simple message. “Look both ways before you cross. It’Ll save you money and might even save your life.”