SWARCO McCain pedestrian scramble helps to reduce traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety in a busy school zone.

Santa Clarita, California

Overview

The intersection of Seco Canyon Road and Decoro Drive is adjacent to two schools in Santa Clarita, CA. During school hours, this intersection
becomes very congested due to the large volumes of students and motorist traffic. A pedestrian crossing that adapts according to the time of
day was needed at the corner of Seco Canyon and Decoro Drive.

Location

Located just north of Los Angeles, Santa Clarita is a 64-square mile City encompassing the communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia. Santa Clarita is the third largest city in Los Angeles County with more than 225,000 residents. Santa Clarita has been rated by CNN/Money Magazine as the “best place to live in California” and one of the top 25 places to live in the United States.

The Challenge

During most times of the day, the intersection of Seco Canyon Road and Decoro Drive operates with pedestrians walking at the same time as cars. With safety being a top priority, the city needed a solution during peak school hours that would reduce traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety.

Solution

SWARCO McCain helped the city implement a modified exclusive pedestrian crossing, known as the pedestrian scramble, for operation during school hours. This exclusive pedestrian movement enables all pedestrians to cross the intersection simultaneously while vehicle traffic is stopped. To facilitate the implementation, the intersection was upgraded to a McCain 2070LX ATC Controller equipped with Omni eX^® Intersection Control Software.

Benefits of Omni eX 

• The software has the capability for 16 pedestrian phases, 16 pedestrian overlaps, 250 free or coordinated patterns, and 128 local/system detectors
• Ensures data accuracy and consistency with built-in data validation
• Supports a 16-line screen with simultaneous display of status and menus
• Powerful data collection features, including measures of effectiveness (MOE) and detector data logging, with results storable locally via USB or to a central management system.

The Results

The project resulted in reduced congestion and shorter travel times for cars, eliminated conflicts with cars and pedestrians, and enhanced pedestrian safety for students and parents who use the Seco Canyon Road and Decoro Drive crosswalk daily. Motorists no longer need to wait for large volumes of pedestrians to cross the street during a green light before they can make a turn. This effort also earned the city recognition in the Caltrans annual program which highlights its best work and the work of its partners.