PSA urges Roanoke City residents to watch for crosswalks with flashing lights

ROANOKE, Va.- – The City of Roanoke transportation department wants to remind drivers and pedestrians to slow down at certain intersections in the city. Two rectangular rapid flashing beacons were installed at 11th Street and Orange Avenue and Dale Avenue near Fallon Park Elementary School and Fallon Park.

This device is intended to enhance the ability of pedestrians to cross un-signalized intersections. The city hopes a new public service announcement will make it easier to get across the street.

"So it's just something to keep top of mind for our community about how to make sure people are using the crosswalks and beacons properly," said Tiffany Bradbury, community engagement manager for the City of Roanoke. 

The city is looking to install more devices within the next year. The City of Danville also installed a beacon in the downtown area. Here is their response. 

We installed the beacon at a crosswalk leading to our River District pedestrian plaza about three years ago. The crosswalk connects the pedestrian plaza to a walking trail and a parking garage. We installed the beacon because of the high volume of pedestrian traffic and the limited line of sight for motorists. The beacon is effective in alerting drivers that pedestrians are in the crosswalk, especially at night. One issue for us is that not all pedestrians will activate the beacon when crossing the street.

 


About the Author:

Irisha joined the WSLS news team in January 2017 after spending four years as a reporter in Georgia.