CHANDLER, AZ — A new pedestrian detection system is up and running at the intersection of Ray and McClintock in Chandler, allowing people to cross the street without pressing a button.
The request came from a Chandler woman in February after she raised concerns about pressing crosswalk buttons on the Sabbath. Rabbi Mendy Deitsch says observing the Sabbath means refraining from creative work on the seventh day, including anything that resembles lighting a fire, such as triggering an electrical current.
The technology detects pedestrians standing in a designated painted blue circle. If the person stands there for at least five seconds, the system will automatically trigger the crosswalk signal without requiring any physical interaction.
Crew painted the circles Wednesday morning.
Chandler already uses LiDAR for vehicle detection, but this is the first pedestrian-focused system in the city. The city plans to expand the technology to other intersections.
Watch the player above for a firsthand look at what this improvement means to the community.
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