Making Your Streets Safer With Pedestrian Crossing Systems

Crossing a road does not have to be a life-or-death proposal. There are so many new pedestrian crossing systems available that you can choose one to mark the roads in your community or development and make the area safer for everyone who lives there. 

Flashing Signs

When you build a development or community, considering the traffic flow on the roads is important. Even if your community is a private development, it is critical that you take road safety into consideration. 

Installing signs at the crosswalks that have flashing LEDs on them is a good way to alert drivers that they are coming to a crosswalk. The signs often use yellow or amber LEDs on the face of the sign that will flash to check driver attention. The power for the LEDs is generated by a small solar panel mounted on top of the sign. During the day, the solar panel charges a battery on the sign, and at night, the sign runs off the power. 

Install your flashing signs far enough back so that the driver sees the sign and has time to react before the reach the crosswalk. If the sign is right at the crosswalk, the driver may not be able to stop before they are in the crosswalk, and if there are people in the road, someone could get hurt.

In-Road Lighting

Another great new signal system that you can use is in-road lighting. This system uses small pods installed in the pavement along the sides of the crossing. The pods have solar panels on the top and LED lights in the edges that can be seen several thousand feet from the crossing. The lights do not require any wiring and are extremely low maintenance, and they offer extremely high visibility even in the middle of the day when the sun is bright. 

The lights along the crosswalk make it easier to see the crosswalk coming up long before you get to it, even if there is no one in the crossing. If you want a light that only comes on at night, there are some options on the market that work only after the sun sets; they will flash all night and then shut off and recharge the next day. 

Traditional Crossing Systems

You may also want to consider installing a traditional crossing system with a light and a "walk or don't walk" sign, but keep in mind that a stoplight can cause traffic problems. If you have a limited amount of traffic through your community, the light might be more than you need. Take some time to evaluate the amount of traffic before you consider a stoplight and crossing installation.

Contact a company like Lanelight for more information.


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