New pedestrian signals promote traffic safety in Valdosta
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - The city of Valdosta is making much-needed safety improvements around Valdosta State University and the entire community to improve pedestrian safety and manage traffic.
“There’s actually a lot of wrecks that go on in this crosswalk, especially with students walking back and forth. Because sometimes it will say you can walk and the light will still be green,” Shantorri Fulton, a VSU student said.
The city of Valdosta is making much-needed safety improvements around Valdosta State University. In 2023, the school teamed up with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission to study pedestrian safety around campus. Thanks to their research, the city of Valdosta is addressing safety for pedestrians and improving driving conditions with new pedestrian signals.
“It helps with traffic because when you have a malfunction at a ped signal that ped will come up even when there is no pedestrian crossing so it stops the traffic flow,” Bo Bewley, traffic manager for the city of Valdosta said. “The less malfunctions we have, the more we can keep traffic moving up the street.”
The new ADA Traffic Control compliant bulldog buttons allow there to be an audible response to the touch, signaling to the controller that someone is here at the crosswalk.
Bewley says with the amount of traffic and pedestrians around VSU, the upgraded system is extremely important for the safety of all.
“The original button had a micro switch in the back of it and a spring,” Bewley said. “Both things that would wear and we would have to replace. The new button has a mechanical pressure switch with no spring and no moving parts so it’s just much more reliable.”
WALB spoke with VSU commuter students who told me this new system should help drivers be more aware of the pedestrians crossing the road.
“This is a better opportunity for the commuter students to feel safe because it makes it feel like they are seeing us and trying to make it safe,” Makenzie Alexander, a VSU student, said.
“Just be mindful when you are driving because people are walking,” Christy Holmes, a VSU Student said.
The city has 74 intersections with pedestrian crosswalks that will be replaced with new buttons, and they have already completed 45 to make it safer for pedestrians.
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