Despite student protests, Saxon Steps are a safety hazard and should be removed
By Lucas Bensley
March 15, 2012 12:08 a.m.
The removal of Saxon Steps, while reducing convenient access to the North Village, would provide a safer route between the area and the Hill for students.
Plans to remove the steps connecting Saxon Suites and Gayley Avenue have been drafted by Housing and Hospitality Services and are scheduled to be put into effect later this year.
The proposal to remove the stairs has incited opposition in the form of an online petition through the Facebook event “Save Saxon Steps,” which requests Saxon Steps either be left alone or be renovated, citing the convenience of the stairs for students.
“I have a lot of friends who live (in apartments) on Landfair and Kelton, so (Saxon Steps) is very convenient for getting there from the dorms,” said Andrew Lin, a first-year mechanical engineering student.
While students may rightfully be concerned with accessibility to areas around the dorms, many who have used Saxon Steps have noted how unsafe the wooden staircase is.
Unlike concrete staircases found throughout campus, Saxon Steps is dirt-filled, with uneven wooden steps that are not uniform in height.
In addition, students have commented on the site of the “Save Saxon Steps” event that the stairs lack adequate lighting at night and appear to be falling apart.
The stairs’ apparent lack of safety has prompted suggestions that Saxon Steps be renovated rather than completely removed. The problem with renovation, however, would be further costs and development.
“Redevelopment of the Saxon Steps would require a design that meets current code and “¦ a complete removal of the existing stairs and a complete redevelopment of them,” said Angela Marciano, the director of organizational planning, performance, and development for UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services.
The steepness of the hill would further complicate construction, as public stairs have to fulfill requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act code, Marciano said.
In other words, any attempt to renovate Saxon Steps would require their complete removal and new designs that would include nearby ramps to satisfy ADA regulations. This would cost UCLA more than it would for removal, an unsavory option in this financial climate.
That isn’t to say, however, that students living on the Hill will not be able to get to North Village as easily as they once could via Saxon Steps.
With the opening of Gardenia Way and Holly Ridge, a new concrete staircase to Gayley Avenue has been made available ““ one that also provides ramps.
“The new pathway provides an improved means of pedestrian travel between Westwood, Westwood Village and the Hill,” said Peter Angelis, the assistant vice chancellor of Housing and Hospitality Service.
The new path offers a suitable and safer alternative to the outdated Saxon Steps, although students may experience a small difference in accessibility.
In the end, while many students are attached to Saxon Steps, its removal is necessary for promoting safer means of travel by other, higher-standard stairs while sparing further costs for the school.
Will you miss Saxon Steps? Email Bensley at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.
