A Cincinnati council committee heard Tuesday how the city is spending $500,000 to improve pedestrian safety. About $14,000 is being used to install signs at crosswalks in busy locations to get drivers to slow down.
The goal is to eventually have signs in all of the city's neighborhood business districts.
Transportation Director Michael Moore says the city is planning on $440,000 for things like raised crosswalks and rapid flashing beacons "that alternates high-intensity light bars that flashes to help draw your attention. A pedestrian can trigger that by pushing a button, it basically says I'm here at the crosswalk, I'm about to use it, and gets the driver's attention."
There were 33 crashes involving pedestrians in October.
Council Member P.G. Sittenfeld says crash numbers must come down.
"Obviously a lot of this is the responsibility of both drivers and pedestrians," Sittenfeld says. "But there are things the city can do and should do to make sure that when it comes to engineering, when it comes to enforcement, when it comes to awareness, we can say we've done our part."
City Council included the money for additional pedestrian safety items in the budget passed in June.
