NEW ORLEANS — Crossing North Carrollton in New Orleans can be a challenge for people enjoying the Lafitte Greenway.
Just ask Reginald Johnson who says he’s had some close calls trying to get from one side of the busy street to the other in his scooter.
“Many times, I ease on out there and when I do go out there and I peep out there and people still runs out there and I’ve been almost hit twice.,” Johnson said.
The city has just installed new beacon signals to let drivers know bikers, runners or pedestrians are ready to cross Carrollton.
Friends of the Lafitte Greenway pushed for the alert system.
“The current system has flashing yellow lights that are on either side of the street, drivers can’t always see that,” Friends of the Lafitte Greenway Executive Director Jason Neville said.
The new Hawk signals are hard to miss.
Right now, they are flashing red.
But come Monday the lights will be fully operational.
“Pedestrians if they press the button, they’ll get a countdown,” Friends of the Lafitte Greenway Community Relations Manager Alexis Marceaux said. “The light will start flashing yellow slowly and then turn to red, so that the cars know to stop, and we would like the pedestrians to wait until they see the cars stopping and then cross the path.”
The Lafitte Greenway is the city’s most-used bicycle route with nearly 1,000 users per day. The number jumps to about 4,000 per day during major events like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.
Bike rider Murphy Taylor expects the new beacons to make the crossing safer for fellow bike riders and drivers.
“If they can’t see that, they don’t need to be driving. (laughs) Yeah. I’m just joking but yeah, they should,” Taylor said.
Friends of the Lafitte Greenway are hoping the city expands the Hawk Signal program to include other dangerous crossings. They are already plans to install one at North Broad and the Greenway.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.