New rapid flashing beacon pedestrian crossing system coming to Vancouver

The City of Vancouver is setting up a new kind of pedestrian crossing as part of a pilot project to help residents get across busy streets atthree different crosswalklocations.

With the new system, known as a rapid flashing beacon, pedestrians can use a push button to activate a high-intensity amber beacon light when they want to cross.

The city hopes the light willsignal to drivers and cyclists that a pedestrian is crossing and make it safer for pedestrians to venture intointersections where drivers rarely let people cross.

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The new lights are being installed this week at:

• Victoria Drive and Grant Street (near Victoria Park)
• West Boulevard and 42nd Avenue (near Kerrisdale Community Centre)
• Elliot Street and Waverly Avenue (near Waverly Elementary School and Nanaimo Park)

In a newsrelease, the city said the system has already been tested in B.C.'s Lower Mainland,including Surrey, New Westminster and Port Moodyand is already in usein Portland, Washington D.C. and other large U.S. cities.

Map of new rapid flashing beacons in Vancouver

Watch video of rapid flashing beacons inAloha, Ore.