Beep, beep — bus turning here!
The MTA is starting to install two new devices by the end of the year that should make pedestrians safer in the crosswalk, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.
The pedestrian turn warning system, which uses an audio signal to alert nearby walkers and bicyclists when the bus makes a left or right turn, will be installed in a pilot program in 200 buses with routes in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. The first 40 warning systems will be installed before the end of the year.
The collision avoidance system uses a sensor-based camera system that triggers visual and audible warnings to the driver if vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists are in front and to the side of a bus. This system will be installed in a pilot program in 100 buses with routes in Brooklyn and Manhattan, with the first 20 launching before the end of the year.
The devices passed a series of field tests and will be installed citywide in 1,600 buses by mid-2018.
