Earlier this week, the Pipe Dream Editorial Board sat down with Binghamton Mayor Rich david. As he approaches the halfway point of his term in office, Mayor David wanted to tell us about his plans for the city — specifically the ones that will help to improve student safety Downtown after a rash of assaults. He emphasized that he views BU students as residents of the community, regardless of whether they live in Binghamton for months or years.

After the most recent incidents on Oak Street, where students yet again were attacked and robbed, we were heartened to hear that Mayor David is taking student concerns seriously. He presented the Editorial Board with ideas for common sense solutions that could help reduce the recent amount of violent crime committed against students.

His most immediate first steps include a heightened, visible police presence Downtown on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This will last until 2 a.m. on Thursday nights and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights — an hour after the bars close and most students head for home.

Mayor David also proposed designating safety corridors on specific routes between the West Side and the bars, as well as along other areas where large amounts of students live. We discussed the possibility of his office partnering with the University on this as well to determine what streets are the most populated. These routes would have a increased police presence, helping students feel safe as they go home in the early hours of the morning. We suggested posting these routes on a “student section” in the City of Binghamton smartphone app, or advertising them on OCCT buses in order to reach the largest number of students.

Throughout the past year, Mayor David has made positive steps toward building a safer community, including his repairing and installation of LED street lights throughout Binghamton. Prior to this, many streets had either been dimly lit or dark, with large amounts of street lights out entirely. And though the repairs are far from over — Oak Street, where recent attacks have occurred, is still extremely dark — things seem to be heading in the right direction.

Increased student safety will come through a strong collaboration between the University and the City of Binghamton, but we are cautiously optimistic that positive change is on its way.