HAWK, a crosswalk button that actually works

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Ever been to a crosswalk, press the button that's suppose to make the light change faster multiple times, only to wait a long time for the signal to change anyway? Pressing the button should decrease the time it takes the light to change to red but I know they just put it there to give you something to do. Why doesn't someone just make a crosswalk button that turns the traffic light red when you press it? Finally, someone has!

HAWK or high-intensity activated crosswalk is an incredibly bad acronym and a system currently in use in Arizona that lets pedestrians control stop lights. As you can see in the video above, you just press the crosswalk button and HAWK blinks a red light and traffic stops. There are considerations when installing HAWK such as the volume of pedestrian traffic, high cost and possible confusion by car drivers. I really don't care though; HAWKs should be installed everywhere.

Greater use of HAWKs could mean more safety for walkers and has the added benefit of pedestrians finally getting some power back from cars.

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