By Samantha Bartholomew

The installation of permanent road barriers has been suspended after a meeting with Riverside City College president Gregory Anderson on April 10.

The speculation of permanent barriers began when a student collapsed Oct. 9 and it appeared the emergency services would not have been able to make it to the student in a timely fashion if not for the help of the student’s friend, who moved the 195 pound barriers to allow emergency services to enter the campus.

The permanent installation of the road barriers is part of the plan to make the area around the A.G. Paul Quadrangle into a an area of campus reserved for pedestrian-only use.

“There is a fundamental distinction between closing the central area of campus to traffic and installing permanent bollards that could possibly slow first emergency response time,” Rhonda Taube, president of the RCCD Faculty Association, said.

According to Anderson, the project will be revisited in the fall after data have been collected to provide further clarity to discussion.

Many students expressed relief that the road barriers would be suspended, but noted that students should be allowed to participate in conversations about the barriers going forward.

“I think that students need to be included in the conversation about the barriers, especially since it has become a safety issue,” RCC student Alicia Zamora said.