Decatur's New Pedestrian Crosswalks

DECATUR, GA — The City of Decatur will soon have three pedestrian hybrid beacons for crossing the street, according to a recent posting by the city on the school system's Facebook page. They use a new method to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely.

The city says these are useful near schools because they allow traffic unimpeded for most of the day, but give priority to pedestrians during heavy walking hours midblock.

At a pedestrian hybrid beacon, the pedestrian presses a button to activate the signal, which causes a stop cycle to begin. There will be a flashing yellow light, followed by a solid yellow then a solid red, at which point there's a pedestrian in the crosswalk.

Then, the red light will blink, meaning the driver can continue if there's no pedestrian.

The three locations are:

• South Chandler Street near Davis Street
• Clairemont near the YMCA
• Scott Boulevard at Winchester Elementary School

"The City of Decatur is committed to improving the pedestrian, bicycle and Safe Routes to School networks throughout the city," the school system said in the posting.

For a photographic description of how it works, see the photo below: