In fact, at the time of this writing, Kirkland is receiving bids for an additional 14 systems. The idea for the system originated with a private citizen who is a pilot and believed that the strobe lights used on runways to help pilots land their planes might be useful in providing greater protection for pedestrians at crosswalks. Funding to evaluate the effectiveness of the device in Kirkland was provided through the Federal Highway Administration Pedestrian Facilities Program which is being conducted by the University of North Carolina Traffic Safety Research Center. The flashing crosswalk systems installed at Kirkland consist of heads imbedded in the pavement, a controller and push-button activation devices, as shown in Figure 1. Heads were installed at seven locations perpendicular to the crosswalk across both approaches and across all lanes to increase visibility and command attention.
Illumination is provided by LED banks in each head which sit behind a clear lens.
This requirement caused the manufacturer to develop a more durable aluminum head which bolts to a recessed plate. Recently, an even lower profile head has been developed. The winter of 1997-1998 was a relatively mild one in the Puget Sound and the devices were not rigorously tested. Even in the worst weather years, Kirkland does not see much snow plowing and rubber bladed plows are used. All new locations will use heads with a lower profile which will minimize the effects of snow plowing.