The department of Public Safety at CSUN is working to improve parking and traffic on campus during the semester’s opening week and will also continue to enforce Project P.E.D. throughout the semester. The project is a pedestrian safety campaign that began last December and stands for Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Deterrence.

With a full staff of about 25 officers patrolling campus traffic, public safety officers are working to improve traffic on and around campus. Christina Villalobos, the public information officer for the CSUN police department, said because many of the drivers are returning students, there may not be as big or as many problems as there often is during the fall semester.

Still, the department focuses on traffic during the first days of every semester. Villalobos said that besides having a full staff patrolling, there are also signs that let students know which lots are full, and officers are directing traffic.

Alfredo Fernandez, captain of parking and transportation services, said the traffic on Wednesday went very smoothly. Traffic on Tuesday, though, was quite hectic.

Rob Winter, a graphic design major, said he has had to arrive at least an hour before his 11 a.m. class just to be sure he will have enough time to find parking in Lot E6 and not be late for class.

“Today I got to school at 10 a.m. and I didn’t find parking until a quarter to 11,” Winter said. “It’s the same deal every semester.”

Kimberly Lujan, an undeclared sophomore, said that traffic seemed to have improved because of the officers directing traffic. She said traffic would be worse without them.

“As people start to get into their groove and arrange their schedule, things will get better,” Fernandez said.

Even though there is a focus on traffic during the first week of school, public safety will continue to enforce Project P.E.D.

It is a program that started toward the end of last semester and was designed to raise awareness of pedestrian safety. Villalobos said that Project P.E.D. is a ongoing effort.

“We’re putting signs up to alert people of our efforts,” Villalobos said.

Fernandez said although the department focuses on traffic during the first week, next week they will be concentrating on enforcement. While there are no statistics available yet on the number of citations handed out since the start of Project P.E.D., Fernandez said the program has had a successful impact.

The department of public safety is also looking into other agencies, such as the LAPD and LAUSD, to assist with their enforcement efforts. Villalobos said there are usually only about two to three officers patrolling campus, which is why they are looking into other agencies for assistance.