Drivers can't figure out new pedestrian crosswalks
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Massachusetts drivers are struggling to interpret new flashing crosswalks, with nearly a quarter running red lights and most misusing the flashing red phase, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.
Why it matters: Pedestrian hybrid beacons are those specialized blinking crosswalks that are popping up across the state.
- Uneducated drivers are creating real safety risks for pedestrians when they fail to understand the system's five signal phases.
State of play: Unlike traditional traffic signals, pedestrian hybrid beacons remain dark until activated. They cycle through flashing yellow, solid yellow, solid red, and flashing red phases, each communicating different actions.
- Flashing yellow means what yellow always means: slow down and proceed with caution.
- Solid yellow: Prepare to stop, as if approaching a yellow traffic light. It's about to turn red.
- Solid red is the main crossing phase. Drivers need to remain stopped because the "walk" signal is on.
- Flashing red comes next and means "stop then proceed if clear," just like a stop sign or normal flashing red light.
What they found: Researchers at UMass Amherst who studied traffic through pedestrian beacons report 24% of drivers ran solid red lights during the "walk" phase.
- 65% drove through flashing red lights regardless of pedestrian presence.
- Only 30% stopped correctly during solid yellow lights.
- 9% stopped when lights were dark and they didn't need to.
- Most drivers either rolled through without stopping or remained stopped unnecessarily.
Zoom in: Stopping too early causes cascading problems, the study found.
- When drivers yield during yellow phases, vehicles that come by a moment later encounter red lights with no visible pedestrians, creating a presumption that it's safe to run the red.
The big picture: Four-lane roads showed worse compliance, where 29% of drivers ran solid reds and 69% ran flashing reds.
- Rail trail crossings saw excessive early stopping.
- Two-lane roads in Somerville and Cambridge, where the crosswalks are more common, performed best.
What's next: UMass researchers recommend more driver education on beacon intervals and what the light patterns mean, particularly the flashing red clearance phase.
The bottom line: Pedestrian hybrid beacons show promise, but safety and effectiveness depend on drivers actually understanding what each signal means.