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FEDERATION OF STUDENTS
CAMPUS SAFETY TASK FORCE
Report on campus safety issues and recommendations to Council
April 4th 2015
Prepared by
Maaz Yasin (Feds VP Internal vpin@feds.ca)
Hannah Beckett
Carly McCready
Chris Lolas

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Contents
Executive summary of all recommendations ..............................................................................................................3
Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................................4
Issue 1: Absence of student group dedicated to safety ..............................................................................................4
Recommendation 1: Creation of standing Safety Advisory Committee ......................................................................4
Issue 2: University of Waterloo currently does not offer a WalkSafe program............................................................4
Recommendation 2: Advocate strategically and focus on campus safety ..................................................................4
Issue 3: Lack of adequate lighting in certain parts of campus ....................................................................................4
Recommendation 3: Work with Housing, Residence and College Councils to address inadequacies in campus
lighting........................................................................................................................................................................4
Issue 4: Ring Road poses safety concerns to pedestrians and cyclists......................................................................5
Recommendation 4: Advocate for better signage, designated crosswalks on Ring Road, and explore the use of
traffic calming devices ................................................................................................................................................5
Issue 5: Internal pathways covered in snow and ice pose safety and accessibility concerns.....................................5
Recommendation 5: Increase awareness about reporting unsafe conditions and look into delayed opening of
campus after major snow events................................................................................................................................5
Issue 6: Regional Paramedic Services (EMS) do not have information on campus buildings and rely on UW Police
to escort them.............................................................................................................................................................6
Recommendation 6: Work with Regional EMS and Waterloo Fire Rescue to share campus building maps and
schematics with paramedics to decrease reliance on UW Police...............................................................................6
Issue 7: Lack of awareness about UW Police Services and their role........................................................................6
Recommendation 7: Carry out awareness campaigns, and facilitate better integration between UW Police and
student groups............................................................................................................................................................6
Issue 8: Improve the safety and effectiveness of the current Shuttle Program...........................................................6
Recommendation 8: Create complaint mechanism for shuttle service and explore increasing the service area........6
Recommendation 9: Consult with marginalized groups to identify and address unique concerns..............................7

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Executive summary of all recommendations
1.Create standing Safety Advisory Committee
2.Advocate strategically and focus on campus safety
3.Work with Housing, Residence and College Councils to address inadequacies in campus
lighting
4.Advocate for better signage, designated crosswalks on Ring Road, and explore the use of
traffic calming devices
5.Increase awareness about reporting unsafe conditions and look into delayed opening of
campus after major snow events
6.Work with Regional EMS and Waterloo Fire Rescue to share campus building maps and
schematics with paramedics to decrease reliance on UW Police
7.Carry out awareness campaigns, and facilitate better integration between UW Police and
student groups
8.Create complaint mechanism for shuttle service and explore increasing the service area
9.Consult with marginalized groups to identify and address unique concerns

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Purpose
The purpose of this document is to summarize the over-arching safety concerns that the Task Force identified based
on numerous student consultation that has been done at UW over the past 36 months. This document also proposes
action items for the 2015-2016 year.
Issue 1: Absence of student group dedicated to safety
The Federation of Students, nor the Graduate Students’ Association has a designated student representative or
committee tasked with dealing with student safety issues on campus. Students do not have a clearly defined person
or body they can bring their safety concerns to.
Recommendation 1: Creation of standing Safety Advisory Committee
The Task Force recommends that a permanent standing body be created to deal with safety issues that affect UW
students. The Task Force recommends that the scope of this committee include:
1. Constant student consultation
2. Termly identification of safety issues
3. Creation of policies related to campus safety
4. Supporting advocacy efforts to address safety issues
The Task Force recommends at least 3 at-large students be part of this standing committee in addition to a
representative from UW Police Services as a resource member.
Issue 2: University of Waterloo currently does not offer a walk-home service
A walk home program has been discussed several times in the past 3 years. The WalkSafe program has been the
subject of many surveys and studies.
Recommendation 2: Advocate strategically and focus on campus safety
The Task Force looked at all the data from past focus groups, surveys and studies regarding the implementation of a
WalkSafe program. The Task Force also considered the effectiveness of a WalkSafe program in the context of
campus safety. Based on one of the recommendations of the 2013 Safety Programs Committee report, the Task
Force is recommends that the Federation of Students:
1. Focus its attention on improving the existing Shuttle Program and its awareness
2. Advocate to have the On-Campus Shuttle Service be dispatch based
3. Have the standing committee (mentioned above) evaluate the need for a WalkSafe program
every year
4. Continue exploring the feasibility of a Feds-run WalkSafe program
Issue 3: Lack of adequate lighting in certain parts of campus
The Task Force identified inadequate lighting on campus pathways as a safety issue that needed to be addressed.
Recommendation 3: Work with Housing, Residence and College Councils to
address inadequacies in campus lighting
The pathways on the western end of campus, especially the pathway connecting Ron Eydt Village with the Affiliated
Colleges were deemed as having inadequate lighting. The Task Force recommended that Feds’ work with the
university to improve the lighting on this pathway as an immediate next step. Additionally, the Task Force

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recommended that the Residence Council along with student councils from the Affiliated Colleges be consulted to
help identify other areas on campus that lack adequate lighting.
Issue 4: Ring Road poses safety concerns to pedestrians and cyclists
Ring Road has a lot of blind curves and areas where pedestrian traffic is very high. A lack of speed bumps and/or
signage combined with a lack of designated cross walks on Ring Road pose a safety risk to pedestrians. Pedestrians
being uncertain about where to cross Ring Road from, and motorists exercising their right of way unless they come
across a stop sign creates an environment that becomes inherently unsafe for pedestrians on campus.
Additionally, a significant proportion of the campus community use bicycles as their primary means of transport in the
warmer months. However, there is little to no signage on Ring Road informing motorists to share the road or be
mindful of cyclists. This creates a culture where cyclists feel unsafe riding on Ring Road and resort to riding their
bicycles on pedestrian pathways, which is contrary to municipal bylaws where cyclists are required to use the street
and not the sidewalks.
Recommendation 4: Advocate for better signage, designated crosswalks on Ring
Road, and explore the use of traffic calming devices
Traffic calming devices such as speed bumps and humps are already employed on Ring Road. The Task Force
recommends that the effectiveness of these devices be investigated and the implementation of additional devices be
considered as long as it is not detrimental to campus safety (due to increased response time of emergency vehicles,
or distracting motorists).
The Task Force strongly recommends the implementation of Sharrows on the University of Waterloo campus roads.
Sharrows are a road-painted sign telling motorists to share the road with cyclists. Cities across North America have
adopted Sharrows to promote bike-friendly communities. Most recently, in 2014, the City of Kitchener adopted
Sharrows on the busiest sections of King Street in Downtown Kitchener1
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The Task Force also recommends that Feds advocate for implementation of pedestrian cross walks in high traffic
areas on Ring Road.
Issue 5: Internal pathways covered in snow and ice pose safety and accessibility
concerns
During the winter months, there are many internal campus pathways that students have reported as being unsafe for
walking. There is a Plant Operations reporting system however most students do not know about it.
Recommendation 5: Increase awareness about reporting unsafe conditions and
look into delayed opening of campus after major snow events
During major snow events, the University either takes the decision to stay open or close completely. The Task Force
recommends that a third option of a partial morning closure be looked into. A delayed opening would allow for all the
pathways to be cleared. This option would be viable in situations where there has been a significant overnight/early
morning snow/ice storm but is expected to dissipate into the morning hours.
The Task Force also recommends improving communication and transparency around the Plant Ops reporting
process for unsafe walkways
1
http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/3243693-sharrows-pave-the-way-for-cyclists-in-downtown-kitchener/

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Issue 6: Regional Paramedic Services (EMS) do not have information on campus
buildings and rely on UW Police to escort them
The Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services (formerly EMS) respond to 911 calls made by students due to a medical
emergency. The average response time for an ambulance to the UW campus in the event of a life threatening
emergency is more than 11 minutes2
. When the ambulance does arrive on campus, it has to be escorted to the actual
location of the emergency by UW Police Services because the Paramedics do not have the same building information
that Waterloo Fire Rescue has. This creates the potential for a delay in the arrival of life saving help especially if UW
Police is not able to escort the ambulance as soon as it arrives on campus
Recommendation 6: Work with Regional EMS and Waterloo Fire Rescue to share
campus building maps and schematics with paramedics to decrease reliance on
UW Police
The Task Force’s stance is that if firefighters are able to find their way around campus, then paramedics should be
able to do so too. The Task Force recommends Feds’ work with appropriate personnel from local fire and EMS
services to ensure paramedics responding to life threatening emergencies on the UW campus are not hampered by
confusion of where to go on campus or having to wait for a UW Police escort.
Issue 7: Lack of awareness about UW Police Services and their role
Many students do not know about the University of Waterloo Police Services, the role they play, the services they
offer and how they can be reached.
Recommendation 7: Carry out awareness campaigns, and facilitate better
integration between UW Police and student groups
The Task Force recommends that all Feds’ Services incorporate the role of UW Police Services in their respective
volunteer training. Additionally, the Task Force recommends better promotion of the UW Police phone number,
services offered by UW Police (Serial number registrations, bike theft investigation etc.) through awareness
campaigns.
Issue 8: Improve the safety and effectiveness of the current Shuttle Program
Students are do not have a centralized location to send in any complaints or feedback regarding the Shuttle service.
Additionally, the current boundary of the Off Campus Shuttle service does not include several neighbourhoods in the
City of Waterloo that students commonly reside in.
Recommendation 8: Create feedback mechanism for shuttle service and explore
increasing the service area
The Task Force strongly believes that students who ride the shuttle service should feel safe doing so. In cases where
they have safety concerns, the Task Force recommends there be a prominently advertised anonymous reporting
system.
Additionally, the Task Force recommends looking into the feasibility of increasing the area that the Off Campus
Shuttle services.
2
http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/waterloo-region-ambulance-response-times-all-trending-in-the-right-direction-chief-1.1956588

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Recommendation 9: Consult with marginalized groups to identify and address
unique concerns
The Task Force recognizes that women, members of the LGBTQQ community and other marginalized groups face
unique challenges when it comes to safety on campus. The Task Force recommended that the standing committee of
Council consult with these student groups on a termly basis.