Do Falls Church’s new trio of HAWK pedestrian signals have minds of their own?
The signals went live in late spring along Broad Street, and on rare but multiple occasions, ARLnow staff have observed them turn on without any pedestrians nearby seeking their activation.
The latest occurrence noted by a staff onlooker transpired Dec. 21 at the signal located in the 200 block of E. Broad Street near its intersection with E. Fairfax Street.
There were no pedestrians or bicyclists in the vicinity, yet the signal began flashing yellow, then in the expected sequence gave a solid yellow signal, a solid red signal and a flashing red signal before resuming its dormant phase.
Drivers dutifully stopped during the solid-red period, then, as allowed, continued their journeys when the red lights began flashing.
Having witnessed several similar instances over the summer and fall, ARLnow in November inquired of city staff.
Uros Jovanovic, a senior transportation planner for the city, looked into the situation, with staff checking another of the signals — in front of the post office in the 800 block of W. Broad Street near Oak Street — but finding no operational issues.
City staff did, however, perform a firmware update in case there had in fact been any glitches.
In the November correspondence, Jovanovic offered theories for why the lights might seem to be activating of their own accord:
“Once a pedestrian walk cycle is completed, the system has a 30-second hold before it can be reactivated. Additionally, pedestrians often activate the button and then proceed to cross before the next cycle begins. When the signal finally activates, it can give the appearance of operating without anyone present.”
HAWK is a pseudo-acronym for High Intensity Activated Crosswalk. In addition to the signals near Fairfax and Oak streets, a third is located at Buxton Street.
The signals went live on May 29 after more than a year of planning. The $1.3 million cost was covered by a federal grant.
