Keep Your Parking Lot Safe With A Pedestrian Crosswalk System
If your parking lot is complex enough to have dedicated driving lanes where people drive faster than they normally would in a parking lot, anyone walking across those lanes faces the same risks as anyone walking across a road. While most traffic may move at moderate speeds that are lower than 20 miles per hour, a few drivers are bound to push the limits of the space. You can keep everyone in your parking lot safer if you install pedestrian crosswalk systems that alert drivers before they cross a traditional painted crosswalk. Here are three system designs to consider installing.
Flashing Signs
If you need a quick, effective, and easy-to-install solution to your parking lot's crosswalk safety issues, a standard crosswalk sign with flashing lights might be the right option for your parking lot. These yellow diamond-shaped signs are seen on roadways across the country. They usually include either two large amber lights that flash alternately or eight smaller amber LED lights set into the edges of the sign. They may be powered with solar panels to make installation as easy as possible, but they can also be wired into your power system. These signs alert drivers to the presence of a crosswalk whether or not anyone is using it.
In-Road Lights
If your parking lot is busy even after dark, you might want to install in-road lights. Typically, people install these lights along the edges of the crosswalk road markings. The primary benefit of installing in-road pedestrian crosswalk lights is that they light the actual crosswalk space and anyone walking through it. The chance of a driver simply not seeing a person using the crosswalk goes down dramatically when they are clearly lit as they cross the parking lot. These lights act both as warning signals to drivers and crosswalk illumination. They can be angled to accommodate curves in the roadway, so drivers can have as much time as possible to notice them and react appropriately.
Over-Road Light Bars
If you have serious safety concerns around your parking lot's pedestrian crossing zones, you may want to stop traffic completely when anyone is using a crosswalk. The best way to do this is to install an over-road light bar that looks similar to a traditional traffic light bar. Typically, the lights on pedestrian crossing light bars have two flashing amber lights set above one red light. The red lights are activated when a pedestrian hits a button on the light bar, and the amber lights flash in all other circumstances. This way, even if a pedestrian neglects to activate the system, they have some protection as drivers are still warned to be cautious as they approach the crosswalk.
If you have a busy parking lot, talk to a pedestrian crosswalk systems company in your area like Lanelight to keep everyone as safe as possible.