New technology aimed at making pedestrians more visible to oncoming traffic when crossing the street will be put into operation in five places around Reykjavík this fall. RÚV reports that the pilot project was introduced by the Independence Party and unanimously approved at a City Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The technology in question involves a sensor that detects pedestrians approaching a crosswalk. When this happens, LED lights illuminate the crossing and draw attention to the person walking. Warning lights on the way to the crossing will also illuminate.
Ólafus Kr. Guðmundsson, a substitute city councilman for the Independence Party, told Vísir that these “computer-aided crosswalks” will play an important role in preventing serious accidents in the future, recalling, for instance, an incident that took place on Hringbraut in January when a young person was hit by a car while walking to school.
Each new crossing system will cost ISK 2 million [$16,379: €14,621]. The specific intersections that will be selected for the pilot have yet to be chosen.
