No flash in the pan

Carmanah Technologies Corporation claims its new R920 Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) has features proven to significantly improve crosswalk safety. The pedestrian-activated system provides a high-intensity rapid flash pattern to alert vehicles approaching a crosswalk that pedestrians are present. The R920 RRFB Series adds to what Carmanah describes as its industry proven line of solar flashing beacons which have been successfully used by City, County, and DOT (Department of Transportation) Agencie
August 13, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
2798 Carmanah Technologies Corporation claims its new R920 Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) has features proven to significantly improve crosswalk safety.

The pedestrian-activated system provides a high-intensity rapid flash pattern to alert vehicles approaching a crosswalk that pedestrians are present. The R920 RRFB Series adds to what Carmanah describes as its industry proven line of solar flashing beacons which have been successfully used by City, County, and DOT (Department of Transportation) Agencies in the US, Canada, and internationally for over a decade.

Traffic Engineers and Planners are said by Carmanah to have struggled with the ‘dilemma’ of crosswalk safety since a landmark study published by the 2410 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2005 found that once vehicle volumes and speeds exceeded a certain threshold, a crosswalk with basic pavement markings and signage was associated with a higher pedestrian crash rate compared to having no crossing at all. For many of these situations, the dilemma is that a traffic signal is too costly and often is not warranted; standard crosswalk signs and markings alone are not effective; and, Carmanah claims until the RRFB, the various active warning systems available have been either cost-prohibitive, marginal in effectiveness, or both.

The FHWA has issued an interim approval of the R920 RRFB within the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), following an extensive study that monitored the effectiveness of the devices over a two-year period. Carmanah chief executive, Bruce Cousins, said the R920 RRFB had been designed with the company’s latest solar, LED, and wireless technology.

“Our goal is to deliver a product that can be installed for a fraction of the cost of a traditional AC powered system, which will enable cities and other traffic agencies to improve safety at significantly more crosswalks than previously possible,” said Cousions.

The R920 RRFB was due to be showcased at the IMSA (International Municipal Signal Association) Annual Conference, July 28-31 in Orlando, Florida.
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Investing in road transport boost economies
    April 30, 2015
    Transport investment faces a shortfall that can perhaps never be breached – David Arminas writes There “will never be sufficient funds for all planned road activities,” said Ben Gericke, transport specialist at The World Bank. The road maintenance industry is going to have to use the best possible contract strategy to win the investment it needs. Speaking at the PPRS Paris 2015 Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit, Gericke said that the best way for the global highway construction and road maint
    Read More
  • Evonik adds Dynavis hydraulic additive to its INTERMAT lineup
    January 30, 2015
    Dynavis, a hydraulic fluid additive, has been a money-saver for many heavy equipment operators and case studies confirming this will be on show at the Evonik stand at INTERMAT. Up to 30% more hydraulic power versus a conventional mono-grade ISO 46 fluid has been recorded, says Rolf Fianke, aftermarket support manager at Evonik, based in Darmstadt, Germany. Data has been collected over the past decade, much of it because Dynavis is used by many OEMs. But as yet Dynavis has not been highlighted as an in
    Read More
  • Evonik adds Dynavis hydraulic additive to its INTERMAT lineup
    January 6, 2017
    Dynavis, a hydraulic fluid additive, has been a money-saver for many heavy equipment operators and case studies confirming this will be on show at the Evonik stand at INTERMAT. Up to 30% more hydraulic power versus a conventional mono-grade ISO 46 fluid has been recorded, says Rolf Fianke, aftermarket support manager at Evonik, based in Darmstadt, Germany. Data has been collected over the past decade, much of it because Dynavis is used by many OEMs. But as yet Dynavis has not been highlighted as an in
    Read More
  • PPRS: the positive side of structural failures
    March 27, 2018
    You learn from your failures, not your successes. That was the overall message for delegates during the day-two morning session on the impact of engineering structural failures. These lessons are also too often “painful”, said Anne-Marie Leclerq, deputy minister for infrastructure within the ministry of transport for the Canadian province of Quebec. On September 30, 2006, a span of the six-lane Concorde Bridge in Laval, near Montreal, collapsed crushing to death five people and injuring six. Only recently
    Read More

Highlighted Content