Signal Timing At Hawk Pedestrian In Phoenix Modified To Improve Safety For Pedestrians And Bicyclists

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

June 18, 2020

Signal Timing at HAWK Pedestrian Signals Modified to Improve Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists June 18, 2020 1:50 PM

To help increase safety as more people are walking and riding bicycles, the Street Transportation Department reprogrammed its HAWK pedestrian signals to minimize time people spend waiting to cross the street at its HAWK signals. HAWKs are traffic signals that allow people to cross the road safely and operate in a YELLOW–RED–FLASHING RED sequence to alert drivers that there are people who need to cross the road. All HAWKs will be programmed to minimize wait delays by as much as 50 percent.

“What this means is that people seeking to cross the road will have shorter wait times before the HAWK signal begins alerting drivers to stop. In many cases, when people activate the signal by pressing the ‘Walk’ button, they will not experience a wait before the signal cycle starts,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said.

“More and more people are getting outside for recreation and as the weather heats up, this is a step we can take to keep people moving comfortably and safely around the city,” Mayor Gallego added.

Some HAWK signals had a 60- to 90-second delay between activations. The gap between activations at most HAWKs will now be only 30 to 40 seconds.

“With fewer cars on the roads, decreasing the wait time for people walking or riding bikes will discourage people from crossing the road without the signal,” said Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who chairs the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee. “The reprogramming of the HAWKs will be a permanent change to help improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.”

HAWKs that are programmed to coordinate with nearby traffic signals will continue to work in a coordinated fashion but wait times were also improved at these locations.

The changes resulted from close collaboration between the Street Transportation Department’s Office of Pedestrian Safety, the Active Transportation Program and pedestrian and bicycle advocacy groups.

“As an organization, we are more effective when we work together with community members and elected officials,” Street Transportation Director Kini Knudson said. “Monthly meetings between our staff and pedestrian and bicycle advocates are resulting in good, actionable ideas to improve safety throughout the city.”

Unlike standard traffic signals, HAWKs only operate when a person pushes the crossing button. Vehicles are free to move when the signal is dark and no one is waiting to cross the road.

Phoenix currently has 65 HAWK signals and they have all been updated in recent weeks. For a map of the HAWK locations or to learn more about how to use HAWK signals, go to phoenix.gov/streets/HAWK. The user guide is available in English and Spanish.

Learn more about the Street Transportation Department at phoenix.gov/streets and follow the department on Twitter @StreetsPHX.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.