FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Following the recent auto-pedestrian crash that killed a 14-year-old boy at a Mason Road crosswalk, there has been an increase in public concern about the safety of pedestrian crossings in the Cinco Ranch area.
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A 61-year-old man was hit and killed while walking his dog in Sugar Land. Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan said tragedies like this are on the rise.
“These deaths could have been and should have been avoided,” said Fagan.
Auto-pedestrian incidents have more than doubled in the county this year, according to Fagan. He said they have increased from 14 in August to 27 in September. Six incidents were reported in July. Auto-bicyclist crashes are also up from three in August to 12 reported in September.
Since then, Commissioner Vincent Morales, Constable Chad Norvell, Fort Bend County Road & Bridge and Fort Bend County Engineering have been coordinating on steps to be taken to help maintain mobility and minimize risk to all road users, according to the Fort Bend County Pct. 1 Constable’s Office.
Currently, Road & Bridge has updated signage and pavement markings to be consistent with the State law that requires drivers to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Specifically, the signs reading “YIELD here for pedestrians” are being replaced with “STOP here for pedestrians” and the yield lines on the pavement are being replaced with stop lines, according to a release.
Engineering and Road & Bridge said they are also evaluating landscaping at these crossings to ensure that vehicles and pedestrians have adequate visibility of each other.
According to the release, Fort Bend County staff has also begun the design work to upgrade mid-block trail crossings on four-lane major thoroughfares from flashing yellow warning lights to HAWK signals, also referred to as Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons.
Features of the HAWK signal installations will include the following:
- Signal heads located over the travel lanes, similar to full traffic signals
- Drivers receive a red indication, legally requiring a stop
- Pedestrians have a WALK/DON’T WALK countdown signal head, similar to full traffic signals
- Audible pedestrian pushbutton tone provides cue to pedestrian to push it in order to activate signal and cross
- Full nighttime illumination of the crosswalk, similar to other signalized intersections
- AC power for reliability in winter months and on cloudy days.
- The upgrades will occur in stages, with the highest priority being given to the three Willow Fork trail crossings near school campuses:
- Mason Road near Creech Elementary
- Fry Road near Beck Junior High
- Westheimer Parkway near Williams Elementary
The county will also make procurement and material decisions that will prioritize shortening the time until installation. Still, given the time required to procure equipment and obtain electrical service, activation of these signals is not anticipated until spring of 2024, according to a release.
The next immediate priority will be three of the Buffalo Bayou Trail crossings:
- Fry Road
- Mason Road
- Peek Road
The County said it has been working with the Willow Fork Drainage District about replacing the fourth of these crossings, Cinco Ranch Boulevard, with a pedestrian underpass. Depending on the timing of that project, it is possible this crossing may have a HAWK signal added in the interim as well.
Additionally, the Engineering Department will be assessing other locations of high pedestrian activity to determine if further safety treatments are warranted.
All damaged, missing, or malfunctioning traffic control devices to need to be reported to FBCRB@fbctx.gov.