Whether you are on foot, or on wheels, the intersection of Turner Street and Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg produces high traffic.
"This is a very high density area, we've got high density student housing behind us," said Beth Lohman, an avid bicyclist living in Blacksburg.
Last Summer, two of the leading pedestrian and traffic safety companies installed SafeWalk technology at the crosswalk, across the street from Virginia Tech.
"Upwards of 70 percent of people choose not to use the push-button for a variety of reasons. So you put in these advanced crosswalk technologies but if nobody activates them then they are no good," said Jim Lampe, with Traficon.
The way the technology works, is a video camera spots and senses a person who intends to cross. It works as a virtual push-button sending a signal to the beacon lights to flash.
"I come through this intersection both as a motorist and as a cyclist and the first time I came through here after the beacon was activated, it definitely caught my attention," said Lohman.
It has been perfected at more than 300 crosswalks in Europe and town officials hope it will save lives in Blacksburg, but not everyone is excited about it
"The students have definitely come back with positive feedback. We have gotten a little bit of negative feedback from motorists, you know, they don't necessarily want to stop," said Priscilla Cygielnik, who works for the Town of Blacksburg.
But as Blacksburg and Virginia Tech continue to grow, drivers will have to put up with the pitter patter of pedestrians.
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