New Guidelines Bring Changes to Pedestrian Crosswalk Signs | PEXCO

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New Guidelines Bring Changes to Pedestrian Crosswalk Signs

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They Take a Hit and Spring Right Back

Tacoma, Wash. (May 10, 2010) – New federal guidelines for in-street pedestrian crosswalk signs mean significant changes in the structure of the sign. Signs on public roads – and private roads that are open to the public, such as those in shopping malls and on university campuses – must now be able to rebound completely when stuck by a vehicle.

The new guidelines, contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 2009 Edition, read as follows: "the sign support shall be designed to bend over and then bounce back to its normal vertical position when struck by a vehicle." The old requirement was that signs merely comply with breakaway standards.

"The primary advantage of self-righting signs is that they stay in place and do not break apart and cause injury to pedestrians, damage to vehicles or become a distraction to the driver. Self-righting signs are also more cost-effective and less labor-intensive than signs that must be replaced after they are hit," said Peter Speer, Vice President of Sales/Traffic Safety at Pexco, a leading North American plastics extruder which manufactures Davidson® traffic control products.

Pexco has introduced a new pedestrian crosswalk sign that meets the new guidelines and has proven itself in rigorous field testing. The FG 300 EFX post contains an internal polyurethane reaction rod that stores and re-directs impact energy to rebound the sign to its original vertical position. These posts feature all-plastic construction so there is no metal spring to break. They are available with bases that attach permanently to the street or with 35-lb. portable bases for temporary deployment, such as at school crosswalks.

A variety of sign panels are available, including "Stop for Pedestrian" and "Yield to Pedestrian." These polycarbonate panels are extremely durable and the prismatic reflective sheeting is specifically designed to retain reflectivity, even after repeated impacts. Conventional cellular reflective sheeting loses its properties when impacted.

"Compliance with crosswalk laws has been demonstrated to increase when in-street pedestrian crosswalk signs are in place because the fluorescent yellow-green color quickly gets a drivers attention," said Speer. "The new Pexco signs have the added advantage of long-term durability without the risk of breakaway signs injuring pedestrians."

About Pexco
Based in Atlanta and with seven plants in the United States and Mexico, Pexco is a North American leader in the design and fabrication of extruded plastics products. It provides standard and custom parts and components to manufacturers and end-users in the traffic safety, aerospace, retail, medical, lighting and fence industries. Pexco also offers a full range of custom design, engineering and fabrication services. Pexco meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, holds ISO 14001 registration for all of its manufacturing operations. For more information, visit www.pexco.com.

Photos available.

Media Contacts:
Peter Speer
253-284-8000
[email protected]

Bill Graulty
[email protected]

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