Overhead Signs and Beacons
Various overhead school signs and flashing beacons.
School crosswalks with overhead signs or flashing beacons may be helpful in alerting drivers of a busy crossing at a wide or higher speed street. These are usually placed at mid-block crossings but can be used at intersections with uncontrolled crossings. Flashing beacons at a marked crosswalk may draw additional attention to the crosswalk. In a busy urban environment, flashing beacons may not provide much benefit, while on a rural road, they may increase driver awareness of the crosswalk. Some beacons are designed to flash continuously all day. In other locations the beacons are set with a timer to flash only during crossing times, or are pedestrian-activated by an automatic detector or push button and only flash when pedestrians are present. Similarly, flashing beacons are often attached to school zone speed limit signs and are activated during school hours. Flashing beacons that are activated only during school hours are probably more effective at drawing a driver’s attention compared to beacons that flash throughout the day.[5]
The best uses for overhead signs and beacons are at locations where drivers cannot see the marked crosswalk due to topography or other unusual barriers, such as on the crest of a hill or around a curve.