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Bicycles/Pedestrians

Safety Toolbox: Engineering


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High intensity activated crosswalk
The high-intensity activated crosswalk (also known as Hawk) signaling system used in Tucson, Arizona, is a combination of a beacon flasher and a traffic control signaling technique for marked crossings. The beacon signal consists of a standard traffic signal head with red-yellow-red lenses. The unit is normally off until activated by a pedestrian. When a pedestrian wishes to cross the street, he or she presses a button and the signal begins with a flashing yellow indication to warn the approaching drivers. The flashing yellow is then followed by a solid yellow indication, advising the drivers of the requirement to prepare to stop. The signal is then changed to a solid red indication during the pedestrian interval, when drivers must stop at the crosswalk. The beacon signal then converts to an alternating flashing red, allowing drivers to proceed when safe. When installed at intersections, this application provides a protected pedestrian crossing without signal control for the side street.
objective To provide a high-intensity protected pedestrian crossing at unsignalized intersections or mid-block locations.
applications At crossing locations that are no less than 600 feet to the nearest signalized intersection and have a pedestrian volume of 120 – 150 pedestrians per hour.
target population All Pedestrians, Motorists
crash type Pedestrian R/W Violation-Intersection, Pedestrian R/W Violation-Non-Intersection, Traffic Signals and Signs
advantages
  • Drivers are likely to stop for a form of traffic control resembling a traffic signal
  • Minimizes delay for major street traffic and avoids attracting additional vehicular traffic to the side street, which may be residential
disadvantages
  • Drivers have a tendency to remain stopped when it is safe to proceed
  • It may be confusing to have a dark signal display, which may convey a power outage to some drivers
  • There may not be traffic surges to give an audible cue about crossing intervals, so accessible pedestrian signals with a locator tone must be provided to inform visually impaired pedestrians that actuation of a signal is required to cross the major street and to indicate onset of the WALK interval; this increases the cost
pointers May require driver education for alternating flashing red signals; however, drivers are more likely to stop for a familiar control device such as a traffic signal.  The California Vehicle Code requires drivers to treat dark signals like a four-way stop.  A re-configured signal is currently in development to reduce driver confusion about dark signals.  According to an eight-month study conducted by the City of Tucson, the HAWK signals increased driver compliance from 30 to 93 percent.
cost High, $75,000-$100,000 depending on the width of the street and the length of mast-arm poles. Operation costs are estimated to be $2,000 per year.
responsibility Public Works Department
further reading Glock, J.W., R.B. Nassi, R.E. Hunt, and B.W. Fairfax. Implementation of a Program to Reduce Pedestrian-Related Accidents and Facilitate Pedestrian Crossings. Paper submitted for the Pedestrian Project Award, Partnership for a Walkable America and ITE, August 2000.
examples City of Tucson, Department of Transportation
related tools Mid-block Signalized Crossings, In-Pavement Flashers

Index: alphabetical / cost / crash type / target population

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