STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Council heard options for pedestrian safety improvements at a busy intersection at 96th Street and Third Avenue Feb. 7. The county engineer presented the options because 96th Street is a county road and not under the municipality’s control.
Two main approaches to the issue involve what are termed as “leading pedestrian interval” and “pedestrian scramble.” What is at stake in the choice is the length of the queue that is likely for traffic at the intersection.
The “leading pedestrian interval” approach provides pedestrians with a three- to seven-second interval when they may enter the crosswalk and establish their presence there before vehicles have a right to turn into the intersection.
The “pedestrian scramble,” which initially evokes images of pedestrians madly running across the crosswalk, actually ensures that pedestrians crossing the street can do so without any vehicle movement through the intersection.
The council was asked to make a selection and get back to the county engineer by the end of March.
At its March 7 meeting, council instructed the interim administrator to inform the county that the pedestrian scramble was the option supported by the borough.
This method of control at the intersection provides a 35% to 40% pedestrian crash reduction potential but does so with longer queuing and the possibility that cars will not make it through the intersection on one light cycle.
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