A new signal system designed to make it safer for pedestrians to cross busy streets recently went up on Hwy. 55 in Rockford and it already has a nickname.
"We call it Blinky," said City Council Member Denise Willenbring.
That's because the technical name for the system — a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) — doesn't easily roll off the tongue. But the hope is that motorists approaching Hwy. 55 and Maple Street will stop rolling when bright amber lights are flashing signaling a pedestrian is waiting to cross.
The intersection "has always been a dangerous spot," Willenbring said. "It's a four-lane highway and for any pedestrian trying to go across, it's scary. Cars don't slow down."
Minnesota Department of Transportation data show there have been three crashes at the intersection in the past 10 years — none fatal — and Willenbring wants to keep it that way.
She was part of a multi-agency push to secure a Safe Routes to School grant to pay for the $20,000-system that flashes in a wave-like pattern when pedestrians push a button. Wright County and Rockford Area Schools also were part of the effort.
The highway runs right through the heart Crow River, a town of 4,500 people, and scores of pedestrians cross it every day, including kids walking to the middle school.
"Pedestrians have rights," Willenbring said. "When the community and government agencies and municipalities and schools work together, you can have a safer environment."
