That Blinking Light Could Be a Stop Sign

New solar-power signs, part of test program, to be placed at 9 Island intersections

By Seth Solomonow Staten Island Advance - Oct. 21, 2004

Can You See Me Now? Good.

As if their candy-apple-red color alone didn't grab enough attention, stop signs trimmed in blinking lights are getting a preview here under a test program.

City officials yesterday commissioned the first such sign on Stuyvesant Place at Hyatt Street, next to Borough Hall. Twelve more signs at eight other intersections boroughwide will follow in the next two weeks, each flashing eight tiny light-emitting diodes, like a municipal Christmas tree.

"We're excited to try new things," said city Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.

She said the solar-powered "blinker stop" signs were suggested by Borough President James Molinaro, who saw similar signs while visiting Florida.

The previous stop sign at Stuyvesant and Hyatt was partially obstructed by a thicket of parking signs near the intersection, Molinaro said, particularly at night.

"If you can reduce accidents, it's worth it," Ms. Weinshall said, noting that the new signs could be installed in other boroughs.

Molinaro said that with Staten Island facing so many traffic issues, "anything we can do to alleviate it" was welcome.

Accident statistics show that four pedestrians have been injured in nine accidents at the intersection since 2002.

Pedestrians yesterday were glad to see the signs, but they remained on guard.

"You have to run across the street, because you know they're not going to stop," said Nicole Lyte, a Meiers Corners resident who works in St. George.

With hundreds of pedestrians crossing the intersection daily, heading to the courts, ferry and nearby shops and schools, "you have to run like it's a Manhattan street," Ms. Lyte said.

Her co-worker, Nikole Ordway, who lives in Stamford, Conn., said "the way the street is laid out, [drivers] don't think they have to stop."