OGDEN, Utah — Some people in Ogden are worried about crosswalk signals changing too quickly and not giving them enough time to cross the street.
Ernest Reiners said some crosswalks along Washington Blvd. in Ogden, like the one at 30th Street, can be dangerous for people who can’t cross quickly enough.
"What I’m worried about is senior citizens or handicapped with disabilities, walking across the street, not having enough time to cross,” said Reiners, whose wife, Ninadine Day, uses a walker to get around. "I hear a lot of sirens going up and down Washington and I’m always worried something happened to her."
Reiners said sometimes, while he and his wife are crossing the street, the light can change when they are still three-quarters of the way across.
"We've even been honked at because we haven’t gotten all the way across,” he said. “It’s scary, it really is.”
Washington Blvd. is a state road, so we took Reiners’ concerns to the Utah Department of Transportation. UDOT spokesperson John Gleason said they will send traffic signal engineers out to see if any changes need to be made. Crews have to balance giving people enough time to cross with keeping traffic moving. Gleason said they will prioritize this intersection.
"This will go to the top of the list later on this year for our LiDAR system that we're installing at traffic signals across the state,” explained Gleason. “The LiDar will detect a person in the crosswalk, and if they're slower moving, it will add up to an additional five seconds to give those people enough time to cross."
Reiners said he hopes something changes soon, and in addition to infrastructure, he hopes drivers will be more careful.
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
