Cranberry’s commitment to cultivating a pedestrian friendly community continues.
The Township’s first Actuated Pedestrian Crossing system between North Boundary Park and the Pinehurst neighborhood is in operation.
The midblock crossing system is a lit, pedestrian-controlled sign that serves as a beacon to warn and control motorists at marked, un-signalized crosswalks to assist pedestrians crossing a street or highway. When a pedestrian hits the button, the system beeps, and four lights begin blinking. The system is solar powered, manually activated, and has wirelessly communicates between the two sides of the road.
The goal is raising driver awareness, and national traffic data indicates these signals improve driver yield rates by as much as 90% at uncontrolled pedestrian crossings.
In Pennsylvania, drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing in a crosswalk. According to information from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, pedestrians should not walk or run unexpectedly into the path of a moving vehicle, nor should they assume drivers will see or yield. Pedestrians should look left, right, and left again before stepping out.
Township officials will evaluate the use and success of the North Boundary Road signal and determine if other, similar locations in the Township could benefit from the signals.