Moore installs new type of traffic light near school
For The Oklahoman
MOORE — The city has installed a new type of pedestrian crossing light at SE 4 and S Bouziden Drive that is designed to stop traffic only as needed. It will allow students and others to cross SE 4, which is also State Highway 37, in front of Highland East Junior High School, 1200 SE 4.
Classes resume Friday in the Moore school district. The new signal light is at an existing crosswalk and is called a High-Intensity Activated Cross Walk, or HAWK.
Unlike a standard traffic signal, there is not a green light. Motorists will see two horizontal red lights over one yellow light. The lights remain dark until activated by a person who wants to cross the four-lane street.
Drivers should slow when the light flashes yellow. The solid yellow light means prepare to stop. As usual, red means stop. Flashing red means the pedestrian crossing time is almost up.
Oncoming motorists must stop, but can continue after yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Motorists no longer have to stop after the signal goes dark.
Pedestrians will have visual and audible signals. They will see a "don't cross" hand signal when drivers see the flashing yellow light and the solid yellow light.
When the lights are red for drivers, pedestrians will see a white "walk" symbol and hear "The walk light is on to cross Fourth Street."
As the walk time expires, pedestrians will see the "don't walk" symbol and hear a countdown telling them how many seconds remain.
Dustin Horstkoetter, the school district's director of safety and security, said a crossing guard will be at the crosswalk to help students get across SE 4. Highland East Junior High School has seventh- and eighth-grade students.
Jared Jakubowski, the city's grants manager, said the system was paid for by a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development disaster recovery grant. Highland East was damaged by the May 20, 2013, tornado.
The new light system is part of the city's effort to increase walkability. The sidewalk along the school is part of a multiuse trail that goes from Eastern Avenue to Veterans Memorial Park, 1900 SE 4, a distance of about one and a half miles.
The new signal cost about $128,000. There are other signals of its kind in the Oklahoma City metro area, but this is the first one in Moore, Jakubowski said.
"There’s going to be a learning curve, but I think once people understand the signal, it’s going to improve safety for our students and our drivers," Assistant City Manager Todd Jenson said.
Melissa Smuzynski, a spokeswoman for the city, said that because SE 4 is a state highway, the HAWK was the only type of crossing signal permitted.