Crosswalk Lights

Question

Patricia asked: I do a lot of biking on the Pinellas Trail. There are a number of places where the trail crosses a road, and flashing yellow lights are installed for the crosswalk. What is the responsibility of motorists once the lights are flashing, with regard to either pedestrians or cyclists in the crosswalk?

Answer

If I understand your question, the lights are activated by persons that intend to enter the crosswalk. I can find no specific mention of these lights in the statutes or Pinellas County ordinances.

The actions are not determined by the lights. They are determined by the laws related to the crosswalk and apply whether or not lights are installed. The lights are only indicators of presence of the crosswalk and the intent of the pedestrians or bicyclists.

Please see this post:

http://flbikelaw.org/2016/02/yield-to-bicyclists-in-a-crosswalk/

The above are not regulatory lights like Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons.

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

  1. Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon— a special type of hybrid beacon used to warn and control traffic at an unsignalized location to assist pedestrians in crossing a street or highway at a marked crosswalk.

A pedestrian hybrid beacon face shall consist of three signal sections, with a CIRCULAR YELLOW signal indication centered below two horizontally aligned CIRCULAR RED signal indications.

1 Comment on “Crosswalk Lights

  1. There are hundreds of these and if they are flashing the traffic is suppose to stop for pedestrians or bicyclists in the crosswalks. There are signs for the drivers also that say they are suppose to stop or yield to pedestrians or bicyclists in the crosswalk. Drivers are suppose to stop or yield.

Leave a Reply