Will LED flashers make Woodbury intersection safer?

• PHOTO: Intersection

The Lake Road and Wyndham Way intersection has seen three accidents in the last five years involving pedestrians. New flashers will be up and running in about eight weeks. Bulletin photo by Riham Feshir

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A busy Woodbury intersection will soon test out a new technology aimed to help reduce pedestrian accidents.

The intersection of Lake Road and Wyndham Way has been a safety concern for many years, according to city engineers.

“We have lots and lots of crosswalks in town and this particular crosswalk has a number of unique aspects to it,” said Engineering and Public Works Deputy Director Klayton Eckles.

Lake Road is a four-lane undivided roadway that has a crossing point for pedestrians and students of Woodbury High School at Wyndham Way, a trail on one side that ends at the same intersection and a curve that causes low visibility.

“A number of pedestrians have either been involved in a crash or a crash has resulted because of a pedestrian,” Eckles said.

The intersection saw three accidents in the last five years, he added. None have been fatal, but they’ve resulted in injuries.

The city will install the first rapid flash LED pedestrian-activated flashers at the crosswalk to help increase safety. It should be up and running in about eight weeks.

“Pedestrian incidents are extremely rare in Woodbury so to have three crashes involving pedestrians (in one location) is unique,” Eckles said.

The sign will have a light bar underneath that will flash with yellow LED lights when activated.

Eckles said the solar powered technology is simpler than some of the old style overhead flashing lights that would’ve been the normal approach.

The LED flashers will be the city’s first – engineers do not anticipate installing them all over town.

“We wanted to see in this particular location where we’re experiencing problems if this would help alleviate that,” Eckles said.

In another part of town, the city plans to install a two-way stop sign at Windmill Curve and Ivywood Bay at Ivywood Trail in Stonemill Farms.

Engineers have received complaints of limited sight distances at that intersection as well and decided a stop sign would increase traffic safety.

Despite the installation of traffic safety measures, Eckles emphasized that drivers should watch out for pedestrians at every crosswalk.

“It is state law that vehicles stop for pedestrians that have stepped into the crosswalk,” he reminded the public. “Also a crosswalk is defined as any intersection. It doesn’t have to be a marked cross walk.”

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