| Three new Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHBs) have been installed on US 41 (East Tamiami Trail) near Bayshore Drive to help walkers safely cross the six-lane roadway traffic. The PHBs (also known as High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk beacon signals or HAWKs for short) are similar to intersection crosswalk pedestrian signals, but these three new PHBs are not at intersections, so they are termed midblock crosswalks.
The PHBs are expected to reduce vehicle versus pedestrian crashes and help save lives. According to a Pedestrian Bike Safety Audit performed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in June 2015 at the request of the Collier Metropolitan Planning Organization, there were a total of 72 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists within the study limits of US 41 from Commercial Drive to Guilford Road and Airport Road from US 41 to Estey Avenue, 48 of those crashes were on US 41 and two included fatalities.
If driving, please remember to stop when the signal is red to allow pedestrians to cross the roadway safely. If walking, please remember to press the button on the pole next to the signal and wait for the signal to turn red to stop traffic before crossing the roadway.
For a quick look at how it’s done, watch video.
The diagrams below illustrate using the new midblock crosswalks |
