Flashing Beacons Installed At 3 Crosswalks In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — The Marin County Department of Public Works has installed rapid flashing beacons at three crosswalks in unincorporated areas of Marin.

The flashing beacons were installed at the intersections of Los Ranchitos Road and Ranch Road near Terra Linda; Almonte Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue near Tam Junction; and Point San Pedro Drive and Marina Boulevard near San Rafael High School. The locations were selected based on recorded issues with vehicles not yielding to pedestrians, according to the county. The data for those crosswalks was higher than average and was confirmed by the California Highway Patrol and Marin County Sheriff's Office.

Flashing beacon technology is designed to improve safety by alerting oncoming drivers that pedestrians are in the crosswalk. The technology enhances safety at "uncontrolled crosswalks," where there are no other forms of traffic control. Studies by the Federal Highway Administration show that adding beacons to a crosswalk increases vehicle yielding from 18 percent to 81 percent.

The rectangular shaped flashing beacons, as well as the related crosswalk signage, are placed in advance of the crosswalk and at the actual crossing location. The technology, which is activated by the pedestrian using a button, is intended to increase driver awareness of pedestrians by producing a flashing light pattern similar to emergency flashers on law enforcement vehicles.

There are 10 flashing beacon locations across the 421-mile network of county-maintained roadways in unincorporated Marin.

The project was funded by two grants totaling $100,000 from the Transportation Authority of Marin's Safe Pathways Program.