Overview
- At 10 monitored locations, nearly 25% of drivers ran the solid red phase and 65% proceeded during flashing red regardless of pedestrian presence.
- Researchers documented early stopping that added confusion, including 9% stopping when dark, 19% at flashing yellow, and 30% at solid yellow.
- Compliance varied by context, with four-lane roads showing higher red-running (29% solid red, 69% flashing red) and urban two-lane sites seeing better performance, including only 11% failing to stop at solid red in Somerville and Cambridge.
- Roughly 40 beacons are installed statewide with more planned, and the five-phase design is intended to balance traffic flow with pedestrian visibility at mid-block crossings.
- The peer-reviewed findings urge cautious placement at rail-trail and shared-use path crossings and call for stronger driver education, with authors noting behavior may improve as familiarity grows.