We are pleased to share this important announcement which is great news for The Village of Hampton Meadows:
During the week of July 27, 2020, the Bay County Road Commission (BCRC) is scheduled to activate a HAWK (High-Intensity Activated crossWalK) beacon on Pine Road between Ridge Road and Youngs Ditch Road in Hampton Township. This is the first installation of its kind in Bay County. The HAWK beacon is used to stop vehicular traffic and allow pedestrians to safely cross a roadway at a location other than a road intersection. When activated by a pedestrian, the HAWK signal will stop traffic at the mid-block pedestrian crossing on Pine Road, allowing them to cross.
The HAWK signal uses an array of yellow and red light faces, arranged with two red signal lights above a single yellow light. There are two of these arrays or three-light clusters in each direction of traffic. For the Pine Road crossing, two clusters face north and two face south.
Unlike an ordinary three-light traffic signal, the HAWK signal remains dark until activated by a pedestrian. The pedestrian presses the button located on a pedestal next to the sidewalk, one on both sides of the road. This activates the HAWK beacon. The HAWK beacon sequence begins with a single, flashing yellow light, indicating a pedestrian has pushed the button. This is followed by a steady yellow light, meaning the driver should slow and be prepared to stop. The yellow light then deactivates and two steady red lights are displayed. Once the red lights come on, vehicles are required to stop until the pedestrian crosses the road. The HAWK will then change to a flashing both red signals (similar to a railroad crossing signal), allowing traffic to proceed, as long as, there are no pedestrians in the crosswalk area. The HAWK then goes dark until activated by the next pedestrian.
Accompanying the red and yellow signals are pedestrian Walk and Wait signals. As at a typical signalized intersection, the Walk sign or “Walking Figure” will light when the HAWK beacon is in the full-on red mode and it is safe for a pedestrian to cross. The pedestrian signal will begin to “countdown” numerically, advising the pedestrian how much time they have left to cross the road. Once the countdown reaches zero, an orange, constantly lit “Upraised Hand” symbol will appear, indicating pedestrian crossing is no longer permitted. The pedestrian signals, as with the HAWK, go dark until another pedestrian presses the button to reactivate the sequence.
The location of the HAWK and a summary of the light sequence, along with pedestrian and driver responsibilities, are included on the next three pages.
