And that is a recommendation (should), not a standard (shall). But it is genuinely puzzling to me why so many traffic agencies ignore that recommendation and install them AT such intersections.
I assume it's because, in general, more people cross a road where there's a cross-street than where there isn't one.
Exactly, and it's why (IMO) it's an idiotic recommendation. Very few pedestrians are likely to detour mid-block towards a HAWK unless they ultimately have to go that way.
I would much rather the HAWK design were modified to be placed more effectively at intersections rather than attempting to prohibit it altogether. And/or the MUTCD being less mental about half-signals.
If there is an intersection, a regular traffic signal is supposed to be used instead of a HAWK.
Half signals are just plain wrong. They confuse side road drivers.
To my knowledge, the HAWK was created specifically to be a beacon, and the warrants for beacons are much easier to meet, compared to full traffic signals.
Half signals are unique; don't mistake that for confusing. Drivers who do not drive in areas where they are common (such as Seattle) may find them unusual, but I shall imagine almost all drivers are able to work out what is happening within a few moments, and can successfully maneuver through them. The point, though, is to improve pedestrian safety, and I think half signals in this way have actually proven to be very successful in reducing pedestrian crashes. Don't look at them as being tools for helping drivers, but tools for helping pedestrians. They may be an oddity for drivers, but they are mostly to aid pedestrians.
For the most part, a HAWK or even a half-signal is significantly cheaper to install and operate than a full signal. For starters, you don't need to have any signal faces for the side street direction. You also don't need to have any detectors (inductance loops or optical) for side street traffic. The only input to change the operation of the signal from its normal state (favoring main street traffic) is the pedestrian push button that activates the cycle change.
That being said, there are definitely some issues that I see with operating them at an intersection rather than midblock. Side street traffic can take advantage of the stopping of main street traffic to make going straight or going left easier, but they shouldn't rely on that because the signal will only change in the presence of pedestrians. Also, that pedestrian signal walk is not the equivalent of side street green, because pedestrians crossing parallel to the main street continue to have right of way and main street traffic may be allowed to proceed with the flashing red during the FDW phase (and in some iterations even during the walk phase). It is also true that the side street traffic does not have a direct view of the signal face of the main street, so they may have no knowledge of the upcoming change from solid red to flashing red to no signal. This doesn't seem safe.
When an intersection is signalized (or beaconized, I guess when talking of HAWKs) we are used to the following iterations where one street has right of way over the other:
[Generic cases, not specialized cases like signals with arrows or split-phasing]
Green orb / red orb. One direction may go straight, or turn left (yielding to oncoming traffic and parallel pedestrians), or turn right (yielding to parallel pedestrians). The other direction may not proceed or turn left, but may turn right on red (after full stop yielding to one direction of cross-traffic and perpendicular pedestrains).
Flashing yellow / flashing red. The signalized equivalent to the no stop / stop sign. One direction may go straight, or turn left (yielding to oncoming traffic and parallel pedestrians), or turn right (yielding to parallel pedestrians). In all cases, this traffic must also yield to perpendicular pedestrians - who may be unlikely to cross if this street is busy and they view the crossing as dangerous, but nontheless perfectfully legal sor such pedestrians to cross. The other direction may go straight (after full stop and yielding to two directions of cross-traffic and perpendicular pedestrians), turn left (after full stop and yielding to two directions of cross-traffic, perpendicular pedestrians, parallel pedestrians, and oncoming traffic), and turn right (after full stop yielding to one directions of cross-traffic, perpendicular pedestrians, and parallel pedestrians).
But hybrid combinations of the above do not seem especially safe or desirable. If one sees a green orb, does one expect cross traffic to potentially proceed straight across the intersection as can happen at a half-signal? If one experiences the different phases of a HAWK signal, designed to release traffic after a fast pedestian has crossed, but still requiring a full stop at the flashing red phase to account for a possible slow/late pedestrian, does one scan the side street for cars before proceeding, or would they proceed simply upon seeing no pedestrians crossing?
By design, the HAWK was meant to address a mid-block crossing. It does a decent job of this (although there are some even better iteraions like the Los Angeles style mid-blog RYG with flashing red phase).
The HAWK was not meant to address an intersection crossing, because it does not have a signal face for the side street.
Could a HAWK-like signal be designed for the potential of an intersection crossing? Yes. Imagine the following signal sequence:
MAIN / SIDE
Flashing Yellow / Flashing Red - DONT WALK [Rest]
Solid Yellow / Flashing Red - DONT WALK
Solid Red / Green - WALK
Solid Red / Yellow - WALK
Flashing Red / Flashing Yellow - FDW
Flashing Red / Yellow - DONT WALK
Flashing Yellow / Flashing Red - DONT WALK [Rest]
Yet despite this possibility, a full regular signal would seem to be far more intuitive and simpler for most drivers. If we want sides street drivers to cross when the pedestrians do, just give them a green light as opposed to having them guess what the indication of the main street signal is based on the pedestrian signal. The worst conflict point for both a HAWK and a half signal is what happens when main street signal is allowed to be released on the basis that most pedestrains are clear of the intersection. The main street drivers are only scanning for pedestrians before proceeding - it is harder for them to look out for side street cross-traffic.
Poll
