Evaluation of the Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon at a Pinellas Trail Crossing in St. Petersburg, Florida
Source: University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, FDOT
This report is an evaluation of the installation of the rectangular rapid flash beacon (RRFB) where the Pinellas Trail crosses 22nd Avenue N, a busy four-lane, urban street in St. Petersburg, Florida. The unit has two rectangular yellow LED indicators which flash rapidly in a wig-wag sequence. It is solar-powered, radio controlled, and activated by trail users. The experimental design was to collect data of trail users before and after the installation of the RRFB. Videotape data were collected with a camera set up on a stepladder beside the trail and several hundred feet from the actual trail crossing. Supplemental data were also collected on scene by staff from the Neighborhood Transportation section, an office within the city government. From an analysis of the videotape data, trail user delay before starting to cross was reduced after installation of the RRFB. Bicyclists and pedestrians yielded considerably less, and motorists considerably more, after the installation.
