Pedestrian hybrid beacons could make a comeback

The backlog of requests for pedestrian hybrid beacons from the city may soon dwindle. City Council Members Greg Casar and Ora Houston mentioned high demand for the beacons from their districts at a mobility budget meeting Wednesday. Casar expressed some concern about the process of deciding where beacons are installed, but said he ultimately concluded that the criteria were fair. The beacons, as the Austin Monitor wrote in March, are midblock crosswalks activated by pedestrians crossing busy streets. The Federal Highway Administration found that the beacons significantly decrease pedestrian accidents. Each beacon costs $60,000 to install.