The City of San Luis Obispo activated a new pedestrian hybrid beacon crossing at the intersection of Broad Street and Woodbridge Street on Friday.
A pedestrian hybrid beacon is used to stop vehicle traffic to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the road safely.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, these beacons reduce pedestrian collisions by 69%.
This location was the site of a deadly crash involving a pedestrian earlier this month.
Lesley Adams was hit and killed while running across Broad Street at about 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.
"This is truly a bittersweet moment as we mourn the recent loss of one of our community members, Lesley Adams, who was tragically killed trying to cross this very street in early September," City Transportation Manager Luke Schwartz said in a press release. "We hope these types of projects will prevent tragedies like this from happening again in the future and encourage drivers to yield to their fellow community members walking and biking at these street crossings."
This is the third crossing of its type to be installed in the city. But because pedestrian hybrid beacons are still relatively new to San Luis Obispo, the city has created an educational video and infographic to teach people how to properly use the intersection.
The city is holding a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new crossing on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. The event will coincide with Walk to School Day.
