Hand-operated spinners trialled at Luhtaankatu preschool crossing in Tampere

The devices have been fitted to both sides of the zebra crossing between Hevoshaankatu and Kirkkoladonkatu, and anyone about to cross can spin them. The rotating reflectors catch headlights and are intended to draw drivers' attention and prompt pedestrians to pause before stepping onto the road, Tamperelainen reported.

Väinö Pitkänen, the city's traffic expert, says this is Tampere's first pilot of the device. Staff and children from the nearby Luhtaan daycare will be involved in learning how to use it. Pitkänen said the site was chosen because visibility from the southwest is limited by a hedge, and previous speed cushions had not been optimally placed for vehicles approaching from that direction.

Described by Pitkänen as a low-cost alternative to the more expensive Välkky flashing units used elsewhere in the city, the spinner can be installed where Välkky units are impractical because of a combined cycle path and sidewalk. The Luhtaankatu trial will test the tool's real-world effectiveness. For now the city has no immediate plans to roll the spinners out to other locations.

The trial builds on recent city efforts to tackle dangerous behaviour near schools, including mobile speed displays that revealed widespread speeding near school sites and a Traffic Safety Week campaign addressing phone and headphone use in traffic.