In Irkutsk, on Sedov Street, the first LED Pedestrian Crossing sign will be installed, chosen because of heavy traffic and frequent pedestrian accidents.

It was decided to install the first LED “Pedestrian Crossing” sign on Sedova Street. There is heavy traffic here, and the Musical Theater and the 130th Quarter are located nearby, which means there are quite a lot of pedestrians, especially in the evening. In addition, according to last year’s statistics, 12 traffic accidents occurred at this pedestrian crossing last year, in which drivers hit people crossing the roadway.
“Recently, not only in Irkutsk but across Russia as a whole, a large number of traffic accidents involving collisions with pedestrians have been recorded precisely in the area of pedestrian crossings. Therefore, it is necessary to draw drivers’ attention additionally,” explained Vadim Smetanin, head of the road supervision division of the Irkutsk traffic police.
Such pedestrian signs, with illumination marking the entire central area, will be visible to drivers from afar, especially in the dark. The signs are manufactured in St. Petersburg.
“The idea of illuminated signs is interesting for the Irkutsk administration because the safety of residents is paramount. We will now test the new signs, and based on the results we will decide whether they can be further installed in the city. In addition, an option is being considered to equip the pedestrian crossing with an intelligent system installed on consoles above the crossing. Tracking sensors are triggered when a pedestrian approaches, and the lighting turns on. This will inform drivers that there are people on the roadway, and therefore the percentage of traffic accidents at pedestrian crossings should decrease,” said Dmitry Bondarchuk, head of the department for maintenance of the street and road network of the Department of Road Construction, Landscaping and Transport of the Irkutsk administration.
This year, the Housing and Utilities Committee of the Irkutsk administration will carry out work to equip pedestrian crossings at about ten sites: sidewalks and approaches, curbs, and lighting will be installed. 10 speed bumps will be installed, and 8 traffic lights will be set up, including those with pedestrian sections.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration