New crossing signal lets SLO pedestrians and cyclists stop traffic with push of a button
Pedestrians and cyclists in San Luis Obispo will have a safer way to cross a busy intersection in the city with the installation of a new traffic control device that’s the first of its kind in the county.
On Dec. 18, the city announced the addition of the pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB), also known as a HAWK beacon, at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Ferrini Road.
The signal is located along a route to campus for many children who attend Pacheco and Bishop’s Peak elementary schools.
A HAWK beacon provides a similar crossing experience to a conventional traffic signal, but with less disruption to vehicle traffic flows on the major street, city officials said.
“Where conditions do not warrant a conventional traffic signal, a PHB can provide an effective solution for improving crossing opportunities and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, with less delay to drivers on the major road,” city officials wrote in a statement.
How the beacon works
The way the system works is that the signal — which hangs over the roadway, attached to poles on the side of the street — remains dark until activated when someone is crossing on bicycle or on foot. The person crossing must press a push button.
Then the beacons flash yellow, steady yellow, and then solid red to alert drivers to slow down and stop.
“During the solid red phase, drivers must remain stopped while users cross from the side street,” San Luis Obispo officials said. “Prior to turning dark again, the beacon alternates flashing red to allow drivers to stop and proceed when clear, as they would with a stop sign.”
A solid green painted crossing indicates the area where pedestrians and bicyclists should be for safe use of the roadway.
Goal is to eliminate severe or fatal collisions
The HAWK beacon is part of a city goal to eliminate fatal and severe injury crashes citywide by 2030.
The beacon is known to reduce overall collisions by 29%, pedestrian collisions by 69% and serious injury and fatal crashes by 15%, according to San Luis Obispo officials.
The city has already reduced traffic collisions by nearly 60 percent over the past 15 years.
Mayor Heidi Harmon said the new signal helps people and “especially our young people get from one side of our community to another more safely.”
“This is the first crossing of its type in the entire county,” Harmon wrote on Facebook. “Go team! Congratulations to all the community members that have advocated for so long to make this happen, and thank you to the city staff for working so hard to get this installed.”
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