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

  • Using ITS to maximise safety and traffic flow for cycling
    January 22, 2013
    Copenhagen, Denmark, has long been known as one of the world’s leading cities for cycling. In some areas of the city, the modal share of bikes has reached a level of as much as 50 %. And on some of the most frequently used bike paths the average daily number of cyclists is close to 30,000. As these numbers continue to rise, new ways of planning and implementing cycling infrastructure are needed. Increasingly, Danish traffic planners are turning to technology as a tool for planning cycling infrastructure. I
    Read More
  • Controlling influence
    January 3, 2013
    New lane control solutions from major roadmarking companies have been installed on highways across the world over recent months. Guy Woodford reports on some of them. Clearview Traffic Group (CTG) recently clocked up the installation of over 70,000 Astucia active flush and surface mounted road studs in the UK. CTG has been involved in numerous road stud installation projects on motorways and other road types in the UK and many other countries worldwide. Its UK installations include over 4,500 Astucia road s
    Read More
  • Driverless vehicles -safe at any speed?
    May 22, 2018
    The development of driverless vehicles is ongoing, with manufacturers in the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and China all working on various projects. But as the recent pedestrian fatality involving a driverless car under test in Arizona highlights, safety is not entirely assured. One key problem is that the road environment is not straightforward and self-driving vehicles have to share roadspace with vehicles under human control. However, human behaviour is not easy to predict. Nor is there one mode of beh
    Read More
  • SmartDrive testing safer signalised intersections for emergency responders
    May 15, 2012
    While both the police and firefighting are recognised as occupations that carry dangers, nearly 13 per cent of the firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty are killed in vehicle-related incidents, while fire trucks are involved in ten times as many collisions as other heavy trucks.
    Read More

Highlighted Content