Introduction
October is Pedestrian Safety Month, a time to recognize the importance of creating safer streets for everyone who travels on foot or by bike. While awareness is crucial, real change happens when innovation meets action. At PedSafety, we believe that everyone deserves to arrive home safely. For years, we've been working to transform intersections across the Western Hemisphere through cutting-edge accessible pedestrian signal technology and comprehensive safety systems.
The Challenge We Face
Every day, pedestrians navigate busy intersections where a simple decision to cross the street requires trust in the systems designed to protect them. For pedestrians with visual or mobility impairments, these crossings can be particularly challenging. The need for reliable, accessible, and safe pedestrian infrastructure has never been more critical. This Pedestrian Safety Month, we're reflecting on how far we've come and the work that still lies ahead.
Our Commitment to Innovation and Standards
We've built our approach on a foundation of rigorous standards compliance. As an ISO 9001:2015 compliant manufacturer, we ensure that every solution we develop not only meets but exceeds the requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). This isn't just about checking boxes, it's about ensuring that the technology protecting pedestrians performs reliably when lives depend on it.
Advancing Accessible Pedestrian Signal Technology
Our work in accessible pedestrian signals (APS) represents a significant leap forward in intersection safety. We've developed both independent and networked solutions to meet the diverse needs of modern intersections, giving communities the flexibility to choose what works best for their infrastructure.
Independent Solutions:
The Guardian is our cabinet-free, independent 4-wire accessible pedestrian signal that delivers superior sound quality and features a unique ambient gain locator tone that adjusts to surrounding noise levels. This means pedestrians receive clear, reliable crossing signals, whether they're at a quiet suburban intersection or a busy downtown corner. Features like extended press options provide valuable information about crossing timing, while vibrotactile walk cues offer tactile feedback for those who have vision or hearing impairments. With weather-resistant, vandal-proof designs, these systems continue working year after year.
Networked Solutions:
For municipalities dealing with aging infrastructure or complex intersection designs, the Guardian Duo and WiAAPS networked systems offer unprecedented flexibility. These innovative systems that utilize the existing 2-wires or draw power directly from pedestrian signal heads for a true zero-wire installation are perfect for locations with damaged conduits or limited wire space, supporting up to 16 push buttons across eight pedestrian phases.
What makes our networked systems truly revolutionary is the web-based interface that allows municipalities to remotely monitor systems, adjust parameters in real-time, upload audio files, and generate reports, all without requiring physical visits to each intersection. This saves time and resources while ensuring systems remain optimally configured. Each push button delivers comprehensive accessibility features, including audible, visual, and tactile cues, plus extended press and clearance phase indicators.
Responding to Modern Health and Accessibility Needs
When the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness about surface transmission, we saw an opportunity to expand accessibility even further. We became the first company to introduce touchless actuation in accessible pedestrian signals using active infrared sensors. This approach addresses both health concerns and the needs of individuals who may have difficulty pressing physical buttons.
Our touchless technology allows pedestrians to request a crossing signal with a simple wave of the hand. Unlike conventional sensors that can trigger false calls from rain or snow, our active infrared technology precisely detects hand motion, ensuring calls are made only when intended. By offering dual-actuation systems that give pedestrians the choice to either wave or press, we're providing flexibility while maintaining hygiene standards that will remain relevant for years to come.
Solving the Destination Guidance Challenge
At busy intersections, audible pedestrian signals can be difficult to hear beyond the first third of the crossing, a critical safety gap that leaves pedestrians with visual impairments without guidance when they need it most. We've addressed this through our Audible Beacon Device (ABD) that provides true destination beaconing.
Mounted on the far side of the intersection on the pedestrian signal head or nearby pole, the ABD ensures that locator tones are heard throughout the entire crossing. For pedestrians with visual impairments, this technology provides continuous acoustic guidance, helping them stay within crosswalk boundaries and reach their destination safely. It's not just about compliance, it's about independence and dignity for all road users.
Protecting Pedestrians from Turning Vehicles
While accessible pedestrian signals empower pedestrians, we recognized another critical safety challenge: drivers making legal turns often overlook pedestrians in crosswalks, even when those pedestrians have the right of way. Our Turn Lane Pedestrian Indicator (TLPI) addresses this gap by actively alerting drivers to the presence of pedestrians and cyclists.
TLPI is particularly effective at intersections with right turns on red, legal left turns without arrows, and during low-visibility conditions. Using advanced LED technology, the system illuminates regulatory signs (typically R10-15) that adapt to ambient light conditions when a pedestrian presses the crosswalk button, ensuring visibility day or night, rain or shine. By focusing driver attention on vulnerable road users, this technology helps bridge the critical gap between pedestrian rights and driver awareness.
Built to Last: Our Design Philosophy
Every solution we develop is guided by three core principles: accessibility, durability, and safety. We manufacture everything here in America, using weather-resistant materials and vandal-proof designs that ensure reliable performance year after year. This commitment to quality means that the investment communities make in pedestrian safety continues to pay dividends in lives protected.
The Bigger Picture
This Pedestrian Safety Month, it's worth recognizing that creating safer streets requires more than awareness campaigns. It demands innovation, commitment to accessibility, and products that work reliably every single day. PedSafety's comprehensive approach of combining innovative problem-solving products with an unwavering focus on ADA compliance demonstrates what's possible when engineering excellence meets genuine care for pedestrian welfare.
As communities across the country upgrade their pedestrian infrastructure, we're committed to continuing our leadership in developing solutions that make streets safer, more accessible, and more inclusive. Because at the end of the day, pedestrian safety isn't just about following regulations, it's about ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can navigate our streets with confidence and independence.
Conclusion
This Pedestrian Safety Month, we encourage communities to evaluate their intersections. Are they equipped with accessible pedestrian signals? Do they provide clear, reliable crossing information for all users? The technology exists to make our streets safer, now it's up to communities to prioritize and implement these life-saving solutions.
Pedestrian safety isn't just a month-long observance. It's a year-round commitment to protecting the most vulnerable users of our roadways. We're proud to be leading this charge, and we look forward to continuing our work to make the future of pedestrian safety brighter and safer for everyone.