The City of Bellevue is looking for local drivers to try out a smartphone app that tells them, in real time, when someone is about to step into a crosswalk on the road ahead.
Testing runs in October as part of a demonstration study of connected-vehicle technology, an effort aimed at cutting down on crosswalk collisions that remain a problem both in Bellevue and across the country.
The city is working with the University of Washington and Applied Information Inc. on the evaluation. The downloadable app delivers both audible and visual warnings to a driver when a person is preparing to cross. Researchers plan to measure whether those warnings sharpen driver attention, lead more drivers to yield and bring vehicle speeds down as they approach a crossing.
The pilot is paid for through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, the same funding source behind other recent Bellevue traffic safety work, including a citywide guide for placing speed safety cameras.
The study centers on midblock crosswalks fitted with flashing lights. When a person walking or rolling reaches one of those crossings and activates the system, the app passes that signal straight to drivers in the area.
What Participants Will Do
- Drive route: Volunteers download the app and use it along a predefined route in Bellevue that takes about 30 minutes to complete.
- In-vehicle session: The complete session runs roughly 90 minutes and includes a short interview and a camera temporarily placed in the vehicle to capture how the driver responds.
- Compensation: Anyone who finishes a study session is paid $100.
How to Sign Up
Drivers interested in taking part can complete the University of Washington’s volunteer interest form. The city has posted further information on its Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Crosswalk Pilot page.
