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| One of two R820 solar LED pedestrian beacons installed at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN. |
The City of Blaine, Minnesota recently installed Carmanah R820 solar LED pedestrian beacons in two locations on Davenport Street to improve safety for pedestrians using the National Sports Center.
The National Sports Center is one of the largest amateur sports complexes in the world and serves millions of people every year. The facility is located 20 minutes from both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul in Blaine, Minnesota. With 52 regulation size soccer fields in one location, the NSC has been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest soccer complex on Earth.
Across the street from the NSC are restaurants and shopping destinations, so the area generates a respectable amount of traffic. ADT has been measured at about 3000, with significant increases in both pedestrian and vehicle traffic during the many special events held at the NSC.
The traffic engineers for the City of Blaine felt that they needed to enhance safety at the two crosswalks serving the NSC on Davenport. Although the crosswalks were marked, they felt that they needed to bring added attention to drivers to ensure they were aware that pedestrians were in the crosswalk.
The most important feature of the R820 to the Blaine engineers was that the beacons were solar-powered. As a result, they didn’t have to worry about getting permits for power, running the electrical connections, and trenching the roads. The installations were simple and quick – in fact, both beacons were in place within a day. The city achieved significant savings in the process.
The R820s are serving kids of all ages at the National Sports Center, and Blaine Public Works is considering other pedestrian crossings on which they could improve safety using Carmanah’s R820 solar-powered LED crosswalk beacons.
