Countdown crosswalk signals make downtown debut

Work was completed today on the first installation of crosswalk countdown signals that soon should help make signalized intersections throughout the village of La Grange safer for pedestrians.

The signals, which consist of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), display a visual countdown from 10 or 15 seconds to zero, letting pedestrians know how much time remains before the traffic signal for motorists turns yellow, Ryan Gillingham, village public works director said.

New countdown signals are now in place on all four corners at the intersection of La Grange Rd and Harris Ave, next to Village Hall. It will take about two months to complete installation at all of the village's signalized intersections, including those where jurisidiction is shared with neighboring communities, Gillingham said.

In addition to the new crosswalk signals, work crews also are replacing the overhead, incandescent traffic signals for motorists with LED devices. The LED signals use less power and should be easier for motorists to recognize, Gillingham said.

The LED signals also eventually will have a battery backup system so that traffic lights will continue to operate even when electrical power is lost, he said.

The cost of the new system is $214,000, all but $47,000 of which will be paid by two grants from the State of Illinois, Gillingham said.

Comments

[Juss]

Hi, this blog started out in 2006 with some shootings on 6th Avenue near 47th Street. What happened since then, did the problems go away? How about a follow up on the safety of that area

[WilliamDobias]

I tried these lights out today. They make the same design mistake that the old ones did. When the count down is on, the "do not walk" (hand) symbol flashes. Drivers making right turns into the crosswalk assume, as they have done to me, that this means the pedestrian should not be in the crosswalk and they aggressively make their turns. It has happened to me on more than one occasion at La Grange Rd and Ogden. The signals would be far better and more understandable if the "walk" (figure) symbol flashed with the count down instead of the "do not walk symbol (hand)."