Rutland board to explore flashing beacons and stopgap measures for busy Town Hall crosswalk
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Summary
Board members agreed to pursue options for pedestrian safety at the state highway crosswalk by Town Hall—discussing flashing beacons (state permit needed), speed signage, solar vs. wired power and inexpensive stopgaps such as handheld flags—while staff will look for grants and cost estimates.
A resident raised concerns about pedestrians, including a pre‑K student, struggling to cross the busy state highway in front of Town Hall. The Select Board discussed options that include VTrans/AOT permits for flashing beacons, speed monitoring signage with remote triggers tied to the pedestrian push‑button and short‑term stopgap measures such as flags to increase driver awareness.
Town highway staff estimated a single‑sided flashing beacon at about $3,000 and a double‑sided unit at about $3,600; a combination of beacons and speed signs to synchronize warnings could be less than $20,000, depending on solar or grid power choices and vendor compatibility. The board asked staff to gather formal quotes, look again for grant opportunities and include any required pedestrian counts if a grant application is pursued. The agency that manages the road (VTrans/AOT) would need to issue a permit for any installation on the state highway.
Short-term solutions such as volunteers holding flags or placing temporary markers were discussed and seen as low-cost mitigation while the board works on funding and permitting. No procurement decision was made; board members flagged the item for follow-up and for potential inclusion as a warrant article if funding is required.
Quote: highway representative (speaker 6) said, "If we want the flashing lights on 1 side of the sign... it's, like, $3,000," and later the group noted, "We should try to do that."