The City of Reno, Reno Police Department, and the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) collectively announced the installation of a new pedestrian signal near the intersection of McCarran Boulevard and West 7th Street.

The agencies installed the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) next to the 7-Eleven and Bank of America near that intersection.

The City of Reno says there's more than 50 pedestrian crossings at that crosswalk every day, and about a quarter of them are in a wheelchair. 

There's a shopping center right near the crosswalk as well.

City of Reno Senior Traffic Engineer David Hutchinson says the shape of the road was another reason the signal was installed.

"We have two lanes merging into one, we have a hill and horizontal curves," Hutchinson said. "So, it's overall pretty dangerous."

PHBs, also known as HAWK signals, have three lights arranged in a T-shape - a yellow one on bottom, and two reds ones up top. They activate similarly to a regular traffic signal.

When a pedestrian presses the button to cross, the bottom light flashes yellow, telling cars to slow down. Then, it turns solid yellow, and drivers should get ready to stop. Next, both top lights turn red, and pedestrians can cross safely.

When the red lights start flashing, drivers should treat it like a stop sign and come to a complete stop, then go when it's clear. If all lights are off, you're good to go.

Hutchinson says the new PHB is timed to only allow pedestrian crossings when traffic on McCarran Boulevard has the green light. This makes the crosswalk safer for everyone.

"That minimizes the number of vehicles which come into conflict with pedestrians," he said.

Reno has one other PHB, which was installed in September 2024 on 2nd Street between Pringle Way and Kirman Avenue, behind Renown Regional Medical Center.

Since PHBs are relatively new to Reno drivers, Vice Mayor Kathleen Taylor says learning about them is important.

"Educating the drivers and the pedestrians is a great component of this project. That's absolutely necessary," Taylor said.

While the new PHB aims to make the crosswalk safer, Sergeant Adam Blount with Reno Police says it puts more responsibility on pedestrians.

"It is on you to push that signal to get that to change and then cross accordingly," Blount said. "With that in mind, that means a pedestrian could also be cited for not using the control."

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