Category: Signals

A Dangerous Crossing in Coon Rapids

One Month Later: A RRFB Crossing Failed

Just over a month after I wrote a post criticizing county traffic engineers for a half-baked attempt at protecting pedestrians and cyclists crossing busy streets, I unfortunately was proven right by a crossing in Anoka County. On November 20 two girls crossing Highway 47 at Pederson Drive in St. Francis were struck at the crosswalk […]

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RRFBs: A False Sense of Protection

When Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFBs) started appearing in Bloomington and Edina I thought they would be a huge improvement for pedestrian safety, but having used them numerous times I’ve realized they’re a compromise on safety and neither motorists or pedestrians are the winners. RRFBs are a safety device used at crosswalks in which a […]

A Modest Proposal, Revisited

Last year I made a post proposing modifications to Minnesota bike legislation. In that post I referenced the fact that blinking (flashing) yellow arrows were becoming more common at area intersections. Flashing yellow arrows allow road users at an intersection to turn left when safe to do so even though oncoming traffic has a green signal. The flashing […]

Chart of the Day: 1929 Signal Schedule and Traffic Flow Diagram

Here’s an insane looking chart from streets.mn alumnus David Levinson’s Transportationist blog, showing a “Typical Signal Schedule and Traffic Flow Diagram, North-South across Market Street, San Francisco (1929) [with a] “green wave” set to 10.5 MPH.” Peep your eyes on this! The complex trade-offs that go into something as seemingly simple as how to program […]

Dangerous Intersection: Hennepin & 4th, 5th, & 6th Streets

[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Paul Jahn.] Below are photos from the intersection of Hennepin Ave and 4th Street N, 5th Street N, and 6th Street N. 4th street is the 17th most dangerous intersection for pedestrian in Minneapolis, 13 reported […]

Dangerous Intersection: Hennepin & Lagoon

[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Cindy Christian.] When crossing the intersection at Hennepin and Lagoon to go the Walker Library it often feels like “Russian Roulette” because I am never quite sure if the drivers will yield when I […]

Dangerous Intersection: Lake & Bloomington

[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Clark Goldenrod.] Below are photos from the intersection of Lake St E and Bloomington Ave S, the 14th most dangerous intersection for pedestrians in Minneapolis. 13 reported pedestrian crashes occurred at this location in […]