Roundabouts may get more safety beacons per suit

An article by Leslie Shepard    No Comments

As part of a revised lawsuit settlement between the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) and local attorney Richard Bernstein, there may be more installations of High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) beacons at roundabouts in the Northwestern Connector project area in West Bloomfield Township and Farmington Hills.

The agreement, announced Thursday, Dec. 15, is intended to enhance safety roundabout pedestrian crossings, including for blind or otherwise disabled individuals. It’s based on a study recently completed by Western Michigan and North Carolina State universities.

“Safety is our top priority,” said RCOC Board of Road Commissioners Chairman Eric Wilson. “That includes the safety of all road system users, including pedestrians. We’re pleased to be on the cutting edge of new pedestrian-safety advancements, like the HAWK crosswalk beacons.”

The study reviewed two types of pedestrian crosswalk beacons installed by the RCOC at two roundabouts on Maple Road in West Bloomfield Township. It concludes that both are beneficial, but that the HAWK beacon system provided more benefit for pedestrians.

The RCOC has agreed to seek Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) approval to install HAWK beacons at the roundabout at the intersection of 14 Mile and Farmington roads, as well as at any future multi-lane roundabouts constructed as part of the Northwestern Connector project.

The Northwestern Connector project is being implemented through a partnership of the RCOC, MDOT, West Bloomfield Township and Farmington Hills, and is intended to help relieve traffic congestion caused by the ending of Northwestern Highway at Orchard Lake Road by moving traffic to the west.

The HAWK configuration was proposed by the RCOC after the lawsuit was adjudicated in March 2008. Bernstein represented three plaintiffs who filed a federal lawsuit in August 2007, claiming the RCOC was building roundabouts that impeded disabled pedestrians from safely crossing busy intersections.

The lawsuit stated that the county was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) because its road construction specifications omitted stoplights or other mechanisms necessary for the blind or those in wheelchairs, and other disabled citizens to safely cross the street.

“This case is a real benchmark for how roundabouts will be used in the future so the disabled, blind pedestrians, bike riders, senior citizens and parents with their children can safely cross the streets at roundabouts,” Bernstein said. “We are very pleased with how cooperative the Road Commission for Oakland County has been as we work together to resolve the issue.”

The RCOC previously installed the HAWK beacons at the Maple Road/Drake Road roundabout and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) at the pedestrian crosswalks at the Maple Road/Farmington Road intersection. The HAWK beacons were installed in 2009, and the RRFBs were installed in 2010.

The two universities issued their report on the crosswalk beacons in October of this year.

“We wanted to find out which of these pedestrian crosswalk beacons was more beneficial, and this study has done that for us,” Wilson said.

The United States Access Board — an independent federal agency devoted to ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities and developing and maintaining design criteria — is also reviewing the issue of pedestrian crossings at roundabouts.

The universities’ study concluded that the HAWK beacons were more effective at reducing crossing delays for both sighted and blind pedestrians than the RRFBs.

“The analyses presented in this report offers evidence that the installation of (HAWK beacons) … reduced delays and crossing risk for blind participants at both the two-lane and three-lane crosswalks at the Maple and Drake roundabout,” the study reads.

Additionally, the report pointed out that driver-response rates were greater at the HAWK beacons than at the RRFBs.

The RCOC has submitted the report and its comments to the Access Board for its consideration regarding pedestrian-crossing designs. The Access Board’s decision will impact pedestrian crossings at roundabouts across the country and will determine if additional HAWK beacons may be installed.