Originally Published in the Neosho Daily News on 10-25-2013
I’ve certainly enjoyed the change in weather this week. The smell of burning fireplaces brings back
so many childhood memories for me. While
I hate the cold we see in December and January, the fall temps are my
favorite. But I digress.
I had my second opportunity to see the new signalized
crosswalk at Neosho High School in action this week. And like my recent experiences with the new
“diverging diamond” interchange at I-44 and Rangeline Rd in Joplin, it was
interesting to watch others react – some not knowing exactly how to proceed. Honestly, I also found it to be down-right
confusing at first myself. Adding to the
pressure this time was the presence of a Neosho PD officer sitting close by. I certainly didn’t want to mess it up…and no
one else did either!
Of course, when the lights came on and went from yellow to
solid red, I stopped. And when they
changed from a solid red to a flashing red (and the crosswalk was empty), I looked
both ways and proceeded through the intersection. It was then that I saw several head turns in
my direction with expressions of disbelief that I would do such a thing. “Complete
disregard for the law” was the look from one motorist. Did the mayor just run a red light? Well, the answer was “no”, but I knew then
that confusion still surrounds the new crosswalk and how it works. If you’re one of those that’s still uncertain,
I’ve got some simple tips to help you.
First off, the lights are only on when a pedestrian is
present. So unlike a traffic light, most
of the time there is no light whatsoever.
When a pedestrian does walk up and request to cross, the signal needs to
give drivers a bit of warning. That
warning starts with a few seconds of flashing yellow lights. We all know what yellow lights mean. We see them every day. It’s the “hey, something’s coming and you
better pay attention and be ready to stop” signal. The flashing yellow then turns to solid
yellow, and just like at a traffic light, a solid yellow means a red “Stop” is
next. That’s pretty straight forward.
It’s the red lights that seem to cause the most confusion –
specifically, can I go if the lights are red?
The answer is – “it depends.”
When the solid red appears, it’s the universal “Stop – don’t move”
signal. Just like a standard traffic
light, you stop and wait. Regardless of
how many are crossing or if they are already clear, if the light is “solid”
red, you must stay stopped….period. Again,
pretty straight forward. But what about
the flashing red lights that follow?
Since different people walk at different speeds and since
stopping on a major road for no reason can create congestion, the designers of
the system gave drivers some latitude.
If people are still walking across, you must stay stopped. But if the crosswalk is empty, the flashing
red lights give you the ability to start moving again and proceed. Just like when a traffic light is broken and
all directions are flashing red, you pull up, stop, check for traffic and then
proceed. The same goes for drivers behind
you. They must also stop, but can
proceed if the crosswalk is empty.
With anything new, it can be confusing. And even though I knew the answer, I went
back and watched a MoDOT video as I wrote this.
After a few times, it will become second nature, but until then remember
these key points:
Solid Red – stop, stay stopped, don’t proceed
– period
Flashing Red – stop, check for
pedestrians, and if it’s clear, head on down the road
I’ll finish today with one more bit of info about those
lights. They are officially known as
“HAWK” lights: High intensity, Activated
cross WalK. The design was imported
from Europe and adapted for crosswalk use in America. The first was installed in Tuscon, AZ in
2000. It was, until December 2009,
categorized as “experimental” in the US.
Until next time: stay
the course, keep the faith, and may God bless Neosho!
