Rapid flashing beacons are being installed at more locations in Grande Prairie. This construction season will see them added to seven crosswalks, including near the new St. John Paul II school in Arbour Hills.
Three other schools will get the beacons, which are considered a low-cost and convenient alternative to traffic signals: Roy Bickell School, École Nouvelle Frontière, and Derek Taylor School. The pilot project will also see them installed by the Grande Prairie Public Library and City Hall, Chandelier Park at 89A Street and Crystal Lake Drive, and Points West Living.
In a release, the City of Grande Prairie explains that pedestrians activate the rapid flashing beacons by pushing a button. They can then cross the road once traffic is stopped.
“Drivers are reminded that they are to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk, any driver failing to yield to a pedestrian can be issued with a fine and/or demerit points.”
It will take roughly two weeks to install each location, and all are expected to be done by the end of June. They will be monitored for a year before the city will consider adding more locations.