UDOT working to install hundreds of touchless crosswalk buttons
Oct 15, 2024, 4:00 PM
One of the new touchless crosswalk buttons is pictured at Guardsman Way and 500 South in Salt Lake City Utah on Oct. 15, 2024. (Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio)
(Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio)
SALT LAKE CITY— The Utah Department of Transportation is working to install hundreds of touchless, radar-enabled crosswalk buttons for state-maintained crosswalks around Utah.
The agency said the goal is to make crossing easier and safer for everyone, especially those with disabilities.
“This new crosswalk technology benefits everyone by facilitating safe and independent movement through pedestrian networks regardless of age or ability,” UDOT Traffic Engineer Mike Blanchette said in a news release. “The app and touchless buttons are key components of an accessible, inclusive transportation system.”
Blanchette told KSL NewsRadio the buttons can be activated in three different ways:
- Pushing the button
- Waving your hand near it
- Using the PedApp
Once the radar on the device recognizes someone is there, it gives verbal cues like, “Wait,” until it’s safe to cross.
UDOT has installed these devices in nearly 250 intersections around the state. The agency has a map of all the existing and planned touchless crosswalk buttons available online.
Blanchette said they hope to have them installed in every state-maintained crosswalk by 2033.
