As if the end of daylight savings time didn't add enough darkness to an evening commute, these Federal Way police officers battle a heavy downpour in total blackness last Thursday afternoon. The entire grid of traffic signs at the intersection of 320th and Pacific Highway, along with the street lights along the sidewalks, went out during rush hour. Photo by Seth Bynum
Although the city catches a lot of flack about the peculiar timing of its traffic lights, it appears as though its roadway experts have taken a step towards eliminating some of the confusion in navigating Federal Way's arterials.
According to Rick Perez, Traffic Engineer for the city, Federal Way is installing a new type of traffic signal display dubbed a "Flashing Yellow Arrow" at the busy intersection of 9th Avenue South and South 336th Street.
The new contraption will begin service on November 8.
This type of display has been undergoing experimentation nationally for about five years and has undergone extensive study into its effectiveness in eliminating confusion. Studies show that driver understanding will be better than traditional traffic displays for protected/permitted left-turn phasing, thus improving intersection safety.
Benefits of Flashing Yellow Arrow include greater flexibility in signal coordination and the ability to vary phasing by time of day.
Other installations in the Northwest include Everett, Kennewick and Vancouver, Washington, and Beaverton, Woodburn, Bend, Redmond, and Medford, Oregon.
Studies have shown that the current standard display for protected/permitted left-turn phasing, shown on the left, has a relatively low level of driver understanding. Many agencies have attempted to improve this by including the explanatory sign, shown on the right. Recent national studies have ironically concluded that this sign actually reduces driver understanding.
Preliminary results from agencies that have implemented Flashing Yellow Arrow on an experimental basis have been so promising that the Federal Highway Administration has given a blanket interim approval to agencies wishing to experiment further. It is expected that this will be allowed in a new federal standard in 2008.
For more information, please contact Rick Perez, City Traffic Engineer at 253-835-2740, or rick.perez@cityoffederalway.com.
