Prairie Path users get new safety feature in Lombard
Illinois Prairie Path users now have some extra protection when crossing Main Street in Lombard.
Earlier this month, the village's public works department installed a new rectangular rapid flash beacon, or RRFB, system at the intersection, giving pedestrians a way to alert motorists they are about to cross the road with the push of a button.
The system consists of three stations - two on the east and west path entrances onto Main Street and one on the median island - that include diamond-shaped signs with a bicycle and pedestrian symbol. Under the signs are yellow lights that begin to flash when activated by a Prairie Path user.
"Our hope is that the system, once people start to understand the utilization of it, will improve the level of comfort, and that comfort will yield additional trail uses," said Carl Goldsmith, the village's director of public works.
Illinois law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. That means even if the RRFB lights get turned on, drivers don't need to stop until the pedestrian or bicyclist is crossing in front of them. The hope, however, is that the lights will give motorists more warning to slow down and yield to path users.
"We still encourage people to be mindful and cautious as they approach any intersection and understand that while the expectation is that people stop for someone in the crosswalk, it is still a good practice to make sure anytime you're crossing a roadway ... that you have a safe distance from vehicles," Goldsmith said.
The village has been looking for ways to improve safety at the intersection since a study released by the Active Transportation Alliance in 2014 showed it received the lowest approval rating of all the Prairie Path's crossings. Only 24 percent of the study's 234 respondents said they approved of the condition of the crossing at that time.
Village officials say in Federal Highway Administration studies, RRFB systems have been shown to increase driver yielding from 18 percent to 88 percent. The cost of the Main Street RRFB system was about $13,000. Goldsmith said the village was able to pay for it with surplus money, after a few public works projects were completed under budget.
In addition, since the study was released, the village has repainted the road markings along the path and installed bigger signs to warn users to stop before crossing Main Street.
"I think we've sort of reached, at least at this point, a point where we don't see any additional treatments or improvements (needed at the intersection)," Goldsmith said. "If there are people who have feedback, we'd love to hear it."