Following the tragic accident last Thursday night that claimed the life of a UMass Lowell student, and another accident involving a pedestrian yesterday, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen is forming a Campus Pedestrian Task Force to examine current conditions and implement additional measures to address safety.

Billerica resident Daniel Kennedy succumbed to injuries suffered when struck by a Lowell Police cruiser while walking on Wilder Street February 5, on the university’s South Campus. The 60-year old retired Gloucester Firefighter was a student at UML.

“Nothing is more important to our university than the safety and well-being of UMass Lowell students, staff and faculty,” Chen wrote in a statement released to InsideLowell Friday night. “Events of the past two weeks, including the tragic death of a student from injuries sustained when he was hit by a car, remind us of the critical importance of monitoring conditions on our urban campus and making improvements.”

“UMass Lowell campus police, facilities and student affairs teams regularly assess traffic patterns, lighting, signage and pedestrian markings in areas where students, staff and faculty travel,” the statement continued. “We also work closely with the Lowell police and the City of Lowell to address conditions on roadways that fall outside university jurisdiction. In light of recent events, we are again reviewing pedestrian safety measures and will be initiating a Campus Pedestrian Safety Task Force. I have asked UMass Lowell Police Chief Ron Dickerson to lead this effort. The task force will work closely with both the university police and the city’s police department to assess current conditions and implement additional pedestrian safety measures, including improvements at key crossings in coordination with our city partners.”

Fortunately, the incident involving a pair of students on Aiken Street yesterday, only resulted in non-life threatening injuries.