CINCINNATI — A UC basketball player is recovering after being struck by a car.
Simas Lukosius, a junior guard on the basketball team, was walking Thursday night on Jefferson Avenue when it happened.
Head coach Wes Miller said Lukosius is expected to be okay and luckily doesn't have any major injurie.
Since 2022, there have been nine previous pedestrians hit on Jefferson Avenue, according to city data.
“Obviously it’s horrible," said Cincinnati City Council member Mark Jeffreys.
Students on campus said they don’t feel safe crossing the streets surrounding campus.
Audrey Donaldson, a freshman, said she’s had some close calls.
“A person came up and stopped at the red light, but they almost didn’t stop and almost hit us,” Donaldson said. “It happens quite frequently.”
In September 2022, two UC students were hit while crossing Jefferson Avenue. One of those students died as a result of the crash.
UC student Gabby Johns said pedestrians don’t have much time to cross the street.
“There’s no countdown for the walkway. It pretty much just goes from walk to stop. It's only about I’d say 5 seconds that you can get across,” Johns said. “People don’t slow down very much.”
Jeffreys said there have been some traffic calming measures implemented along Jefferson Avenue.
“We have installed, as you know, behind us are some speed humps. That has certainly helped. Some signage. But clearly more needs to be done,” he said.
It’s not only a Jefferson Avenue problem. In the Corryville and CUF neighborhoods, there have been 39 pedestrians hit in 2023. That’s one crash away from tying the most pedestrians hit near UC in a decade.
Jeffreys said the speed limit on Jefferson Avenue needs to be lowered. Right now, it is 35 mph.
Jeffreys said that’s only a partial solution and he would like city leaders, the university and law enforcement all to collaborate to come up with a more permanent fix.
“I think we need to have a very clear joint plan," he said. "What this looks like not only here, but in other intersections around campus, especially as more students are attending.”
