First of its kind in Los Angeles, HAWK to dramatically cut accidents

| October 3, 2019 | 0 Comments

HAWK CROSSWALK light was installed last month on Sixth Street between Fairfax and Curson avenues. This example is from Phoenix, AZ. Photo by Mike Cynecki thru pedbikeimages.org

It’s called HAWK, short for High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, and it’s been proven to dramatically reduce the rate of accidents.

The new pedestrian crossing and signal was unveiled last month on Sixth Street between Fairfax and Curson avenues. Also called a HAWK beacon and a pedestrian hybrid beacon, the device is the first of its kind in Los Angeles, according to Councilmember David Ryu’s office.

“There have been far too many accidents on this stretch of Sixth Street, which connects residential areas like Park La Brea to L.A. icons like LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits,” Councilmember Ryu said at the unveiling.

Also at the event Sept. 25 were Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation (LADOT) General Manager Seleta Reynolds, the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and community leaders from the Mid-City West Community Council.

The HAWK beacon was funded by Councilmember Ryu and Supervisor Kuehl, whose Third District includes this portion of Sixth Street.

HAWK utilizes a three-light yellow-and-red signal that forces vehicles to come to a complete stop before giving pedestrians a countdown timer, making it useful for streets with higher speeds and longer crossing distances.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, streets with such pedestrian hybrid beacons can reduce pedestrian crashes by 69% and total crashes by 29%.

“This first-of-its-kind signal in L.A. will reduce crashes by 30% for everyone,” said LADOT’s Seleta Reynolds.

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Category: Real Estate

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