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Mayor DeMaria looks to install more as part of a broader traffic- calming program
Mayor Carlo DeMaria announced this week that work has been completed on installing four rectangular rapid flashing beacons on Broadway, the corner of Gladstone Street and Broadway, Coburn Terrace, and Chestnut Street.
Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) will enhance safety by reducing crashes between vehicles and pedestrians at unsignalized intersections and mid-block pedestrian crossings by increasing driver awareness of potential pedestrian conflicts.
Mayor DeMaria stated, “One of my top priorities is to make the City of Everett more pedestrian friendly and a more walkable community. By installing these beacons we will calm traffic and make our streets much more welcoming to foot traffic. My first priority is in areas around schools and parks and then residential neighborhoods.”
RRFBs are a lower cost alternative to traffic signals and hybrid signals that are shown to increase driver-yielding behavior at crosswalks significantly when supplementing standard pedestrian crossing warning signs and markings.
The installations of the RRFBs were funded through the Complete Streets Program. This past January, the City of Everett received $400,000 in state funding for Everett’s Complete Street Program. In 2014, the City Council adopted the Mayor’s Complete Streets Resolution and Policy Guide.
A growing national movement, Complete Streets creates a framework for roadway networks to be safer, more livable, and more welcoming to all users. Mayor DeMaria also stated, “The Complete Streets Program assists and addresses needs that our roadway system has encountered with a healthy approach.”
In addition, to these beacons the city has also added a rapid bus lane, bike lane along Broadway and in December additional signage will be added.
