NEWS
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New Countdown Pedestrian Signals Get Pilot Run
Sunnyvale, CA (10/23/02) -- Sunnyvale’s Traffic Department has installed new “countdown” pedestrian signals at the intersections of Hollenbeck and Homestead Roads in a pilot test to determine if they are helpful to Sunnyvale residents when crossing busy streets.
“We have installed four different models and would like to get input from residents about which of the signals they like the best and if they find the countdown method useful in general,” said Dennis Ng, Senior Traffic Engineer for the City.
When a pedestrian pushes a pedestrian-crossing button and the light changes to green, a white “walking man” image appears lit up on the opposite side of the street. With the new system, large numbers will also appear counting down the seconds of how much time the pedestrian has left to safety cross the street.
These signals are now in place in a few Bay Area cities and, if successful with Sunnyvale residents, they will be permanently installed in areas of heavy pedestrian traffic and near schools.
Sunnyvale residents can call (408) 730-7415 by November 15 in order to provide their input on how they rate the new system.
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