(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) A new pedestrian walk light at a dangerous intersection could help ease safety concerns for those on foot.
A teen was struck by a car last year at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Utah Street near Washington-Lee High School and suffered a serious head injury.
In the aftermath, Arlington County police conducted a pedestrian safety detail at the intersection to enforce traffic laws on scofflaw drivers. Still, reports of drivers ignoring pedestrians in the crosswalk continued.
As of last week, however, the county has installed new high-visibility walk signs and lights at the crossing to help pedestrians and bicyclists cross Washington Boulevard.
After pressing a button, the lights flash for approximately 10 seconds to warn drivers that people are crossing. An audio message tells crossers that the lights are flashing too.
And while the signals do not include stoplights for drivers, several did stop as required on Monday afternoon to let pedestrians cross while an ARLnow.com reporter was taking photos.