HENDERSON, NV (KTNV) — The city of Henderson is hoping to make pedestrian crosswalks safer, after two teenagers were hit by a car while riding a bike home from school. According to Henderson Police Department, it happened in March on Valley Verde near Windmill Parkway, right outside Greenspun Junior High School. Now, city officials are making changes to improve pedestrian safety, especially around school zones.
"More guidance is needed for students crossing," says city traffic engineer, Eric Hawkins. "Especially during the morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up."
The city has installed high intensity activated crosswalk beacons. They're at two different schools, Greenspun Junior High School and Foothill High School.
TRAFFIC UPDATE: You may notice some new crosswalk signals in front of Greenspun Junior High and Foothill High in Henderson. The city is working to improve pedestrian safety in front of schools. https://t.co/08ylNXhSFH
— Marissa Kynaston (@marissaktnv) May 2, 2019
There are four cues for drivers: flashing yellow to slow down, solid yellow to prepare to stop, solid red to come to a complete stop, and flashing red, where drivers should check to make sure everybody is finished crossing before they go.
If the beacons are successful, the city could install them at even more locations.