City Lights Up Crosswalks

By Teresa Rochester

They look like miniature UFO's lining a handful of the crosswalks running down Pico Boulevard. But UFO's they're not.

These little metallic disks, embedded in the street's asphalt, are the city's latest tool in fighting for pedestrian safety.

The high-tech lights -- installed at five crosswalks that don't have stoplights along the Pico corridor -- are part of the Santa Monica's all out, multi-year effort to boost pedestrian safety in a city where traffic congestion is on the rise and there are plenty of crosswalks without traffic lights.

Running the city approximately $35,000 per crosswalk, the metal disks alert drivers that a pedestrian has entered the crosswalk by flashing a light at them. Pedestrians waiting to cross the street can activate the lights by pushing a button, said Ellen Gelbard in the City's Planning and Community Development Department. A push of the button also activates flashing lights installed in neon-green crosswalk signs posted on the curb.

To the untrained eye it might look like the small, flat lights would do little to alert drivers, especially during the day, but Gelbard said the lights are effective day and night and are specifically directed at drivers.

"They're very unidirectional," said Gelbard. "They're effective in the daytime and even more effective at night. You have to be a driver to see how effective they are."

The new pedestrian lights have been installed at crosswalks at Pico Boulevard and 3rd, 9th, 10th, Euclid and 31st streets. The lights will be activated in a week.

Plans are in the works for similar lighting to be installed at 21st Street and Montana Avenue.

The city -- which began a full-fledged campaign for pedestrian safety two years ago -- unveiled a new public service ad warning pedestrians to "look both ways" before crossing the street. Produced by volunteers in conjunction with the police department, the 30-second television ad shows two kids being snatched from the path of a speeding car.

"I want to thank staff for showing us that a public safety announcement doesn't have to be pedestrian," joked Councilman Kevin McKeown.

The ad will replace the award-winning public safety announcement featuring a matador flashing his cape at oncoming cars as he tries to cross the street. That ad stops running this month.

Last year the City Council pushed hard for increased crosswalk safety measures during the city's budget hearings.

According to a report complied by Police Chief James T. Butts and submitted to the council in January, pedestrians where killed in 24 vehicle accidents between 1994 to 1999. Investigators found that 17 of the accidents were the fault of pedestrians. Pedestrian fatalities accounted for more than half of the 48 fatal traffic collisions during that period.

Of the three traffic-related fatalities last year all involved pedestrians. In two of the accidents, police found the pedestrians were at fault. In the third case, "the pedestrian's actions significantly contributed to the collision," according to the report.

In January a teenage girl was struck by a car as she attempted to cross Pico Boulevard at 31st Street at the crosswalk, which now has the new lights. While the girl survived, onlookers from nearby businesses said it was an accident waiting to happen.

The city will begin public hearings later this month on proposed enhanced crosswalks on Ocean Park, Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards. The first meeting will be Wednesday, May 31 at the Fairview Library, 2101 Ocean Park Boulevard, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss the crosswalks on Ocean Park Boulevard.

The public can comment about enhancements along Wilshire Boulevard on Thursday, June 1, at the Ken Edwards Center, Room 100 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Santa Monica and Broadway on Monday, June 5 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 Fourth Street in Room 103.

Lookout staff contributed to this report.