Warning light to make crossing safer

The City of Seward installed a new warning light at the intersection of Hillcrest Drive and Highway 15 at the beginning of April to help keep pedestrians safe.

The Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Beacon is meant to alert drivers that pedestrians are about to cross the street.

City Administrator Greg Butcher said the city met with representatives from Seward Public and St. John Lutheran schools, as well as the Nebraska Department of Transportation, last year about how to help get students to and from school safely.

“When we analyzed looking at this idea of improving that intersection, one of the things identified was approving this light,” Butcher said.

The city council approved the light at a cost just under $10,000 in January, and the electric department installed it in April, with NDOT placing the signs.

The intersection has stop signs on the east and west sides, but not on the north or south approaches.

With the light, pedestrians press a button to turn on the flashing lights. Drivers should yield to the lights, coming to a complete stop and allowing pedestrians to cross.

Butcher said drivers who do not yield when someone is waiting to cross could be cited.

Those walking should not enter the roadway until drivers on all sides have stopped completely.

“We still encourage people to wait for traffic to yield to them. Pay attention, watch as you cross,” Butcher said.

He said by installing a flashing beacon instead of a stop light, traffic can still flow normally when pedestrians are not present.

Butcher said the city has not received any calls or complaints about the new light so far.

“We wanted to get a feel for how this one works and what the public thinks of it,” he said.

Next, the city may consider working with Memorial Health Care Systems to install another one outside the hospital on North Columbia Avenue.

“There’s a really active crossing there,” Butcher said.