The Glowing Crosswalk increases the visibility of pedestrians to oncoming traffic when crossing an intersection at night by using high-powered LEDs installed on either side of the sidewalk at a crossing path.

The “Glowing Crosswalk” is a traffic-calming mechanism that creates a path of light across an intersection in order to improve the visibility of pedestrians to oncoming traffic as they cross through the path. As a literal intersection for all types of people and most forms of transit, crosswalks are a lively and potentially dangerous place. This Glowing Crosswalk prototype consists of four, free-standing “light poles” that are to be placed in pairs on the sidewalk on either side of an intersection. Each light pole features three high-powered LED lights and a “push-to-cross” button switch. When a pedestrian approaches the intersection and pushes the switch on any of the poles, a radio frequency signal is sent to the other three poles and they all run an identical program in unison. The program cycles the lights through an “on”, “blinking” and “off” phase (similar to existing crosswalk light sequences). As the pedestrian moves along the crossing path, their legs reflect the light from the poles, which is brighter than the surrounding ambient light (from streetlamps, storefronts, and vehicle lights, etc.). This high contrast of light directs the attention of oncoming motorists and cyclists to the movement of the pedestrian.

Project by Thomas Deckert