Site of Hit-and-Run Gets Smart Crosswalk

The city’s first so-called smart crosswalk will be activated today at an intersection that was the site of a hit-and-run accident in October that left a mother and young child critically injured.

Microwave sensors installed at the corner of Lankershim Boulevard and Arminta Street--which previously had no traffic lights--will be set to trigger a flashing yellow light to warn motorists that pedestrians are crossing the street.

Later this week, a crosswalk in Highland Park will also get the sensors.

“We’ve had some pedestrian safety problems at both of these locations,” said Brian Gallagher, a city transportation engineer.

“This has the potential to be a quick way to improve pedestrian safety at a fraction of the cost of a regular signal.”

The cost to the city for the smart crosswalk is about $15,000. A complete traffic signal setup for an intersection is about $80,000, Gallagher said.

The crosswalk sensors operate much like those that open automatic doors. When a pedestrian disturbs the beam sent out by one of the units, yellow lights begin to flash, warning motorists to slow down.

Councilman Richard Alarcon said the Lankershim intersection has been extremely hazardous for pedestrians, with at least four accidents there since 1991.

In October, Juana de la Cruz Mercado and her 10-month-old daughter were struck by a sports utility vehicle while crossing Lankershim.

Los Angeles police officers were planning to question fellow Officer Bryce Wicks about his possible connection with the hit-and-run incident. But shortly after they pulled up to his Acton home, Wicks shot and killed himself.

Mercado and her daughter have both recovered and are scheduled to attend a dedication ceremony for the new crosswalk with Alarcon and other city officials.