NCJ Number
189040
Journal
Campus Safety Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 5 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 20-22
Date Published
June 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the technology and operation of a new traffic warning system that has been implemented on a one-mile campus loop roadway at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA, it notifies motorists of a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Abstract
A review of existing conditions by the Foothill DeAnza Community College District Police Department determined that traditional signs and markings were not sufficient to warn motorists of pedestrians. Observations showed that motorists in one lane would routinely stop for a pedestrian to cross while an approaching motorist in the second lane would not react until the pedestrian walked past the stopped vehicle in the adjacent lane; this presented a potentially dangerous situation. The police chief inquired about a new traffic warning system that uses LED in-roadway warning lights at crosswalks to warn approaching motorists of the possible presence of a crossing pedestrian. As a result, six new in-roadway cross-walk warning systems are now in place along the campus loop road. The system is designed to alert approaching motorists upon activation of the device by a pedestrian. The in-roadway warning light system consists of a series of LED (light emitting diode) flashing light modules, which are embedded approximately 1-inch into the pavement adjacent to a marked crosswalk. The lights protrude about a half inch above the roadway surface. The lights reflect out toward the oncoming traffic to warn approaching drivers of a pedestrian's presence. The system is activated automatically by a pedestrian detection device or manually by a pedestrian push-button mechanism. The Foothill College system uses a mixture of manual activation and automatic activation systems. Motorists report that the system is an attention-getting device that is virtually impossible to ignore. The compelling data and study conclusions were the basis for the development of Federal standards of in-roadway warning lights in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) traffic manual.