This fall, as part of the Harford Road streetscape project, Parkville will see a new kind of crosswalk.

According to Fran Ward, a spokeswoman for the State Highway Administration, the crosswalk is the first of its type on a state highway in Maryland.

The new crosswalk at Garnet Road will look similar to the flashing traffic signal seen in front of some fire stations, she said.

But rather than emergency vehicles, this signal stops traffic for pedestrians only.

"Cars have to stop so pedestrians can cross," Ward said.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of the traffic signal is that, in addition to having the standard button on a pole to activate the stop signal, it can also be activated by standing in the right spot.

On the ramp where the sidewalk meets the road, a weight-sensitive "smart pad" will function just as the button on the pole does, Ward said.

The pad will contrast in color with the surrounding sidewalk to make it more visible and will have a different texture than the surrounding sidewalk to make it detectable to the vision-impaired, Ward said.

Whether someone presses the button or steps on the pad, the result will be that the flashing yellow light that marks the crosswalk will begin flashing more rapidly and then turn red, signaling drivers to stop, she said.

According to Ward, the purpose of the pedestrian signal is to assist the visually impaired and disabled people in the area, and to increase safety for pedestrians overall.

The visual "Walk" signal will display numbers, counting down a pedestrian's time to cross, and will be accompanied by an audible "chirp" for the visually impaired, Ward said.

State law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians on crosswalks, but as Ward put it, "this is another layer."

The crosswalk will be installed on Harford Road on the south side of its intersection with Garnet Road, where pedestrian traffic is relatively heavy near the post office, she said.

Ward said that project engineers expect the pedestrian stoplight to be installed in the fall.

Update meetings for the streetscape improvement project take place on the third Monday of every other month at the Parkville Senior Center at 8601 Harford Road.

The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

user comments (0)