Finance Committee - 06/02/2021 Page 6
A viva voce roll call was taken which resulted as follows:
Yea: Alderman Klee, Alderwoman Lu, Alderman Laws, Alderman O’Brien 4
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
From: Kelly Parkinson, Purchasing Manager
Re: Pedestrian Safety Enhancements in the amount not to exceed $32,700 funded from accounts 81300
Machinery & Equipment (161 Streets)
MOTION BY ALDERMAN O’BRIEN TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE, AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF
RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASHING BEACON (RRFB) CROSSWALK SIGNAL SYSTEMS FROM OCEAN
STATE SIGNAL CO. OF SMITHFIELD, RI, IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $65,000. FUNDING WILL
BE THROUGH DEPARTMENT: 161 STREETS; FUND: PRIOR YEAR ESCROW; ACCOUNT CATEGORY:
81 CAPITAL OUTLAY/IMPROVEMENTS, BY ROLL CALL.
ON THE QUESTION
Daniel Hudson, City Engineer
As described, this is to improve pedestrian safety at some of our midblock crosswalks on Main Street. There
are three locations where there’s a crosswalk that isn’t at a signalized crossing. There’s an existing crossing
on the Main Street Bridge and those familiar with the area will recognize you walk up, push a button, and you
get the yellow flashing lights. That’s really to attract driver attention to the fact that somebody is crossing. It
has been shown that that can provide up to an 80 percent improvement in driver’s yielding to pedestrians
crossing. So it’s proven to be a great technology. So this proposal is to purchase equipment from the same
company that supplied the equipment for the Main Street Bridge and as for consistency in our equipment on
the corridor for maintenance reasons. Then we will be installing that equipment with our internal forces in the
Street Department.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you Madam Chair. Mr. Hudson what a brilliant idea. Traversing Main Street if I’m on the inbound lane
closest to the sidewalk, I'll yield to pedestrians but | always keep my eye in the rearview mirror and to the
driver’s rearview side mirror that’s on the door. For that one person that is traveling down Main Street that may
not see the pedestrian entering into that crosswalk and before the tragedy occurs, | have beeped my horn on a
couple of occasions trying to stop the pedestrian and thus averting some tragedy. It’s something that should
have been installed earlier but I’m glad that we’re doing it now. | think it will make our citizens extremely
comfortable in crossing the street down there and utilizing the crosswalk plus as an enhancement to the
wonderful things downtown dining and other fun activities. Thank you Mr. Hudson for this.
Daniel Hudson, City Engineer
You're welcome.
Vice-Chairman Klee
Mr. Hudson can you clarify. This is not for the Main Street one because we already one that we put in at Main
Street, correct?
Daniel Hudson, City Engineer
This is a system similar to the one on the bridge but this (inaudible) cases on Main Street.
