BRUNSWICK (AP) – Strobe lights aren’t just for the dance floor. They’re being used to help bicyclists and pedestrians cross the street safely near Bowdoin College.

Bowdoin College paid for $32,000 of the $45,000 project in which strobe lights were embedded in the pavement to create an illuminated crosswalk when activated.

“I think it will help because a lot of students who walk through here are listening to music or talking on their cell phones and are not paying attention to traffic,” Bowdoin College senior Emily Johnson said Tuesday.

Town and college officials have been concerned as the number of pedestrian-car accidents along Maine Street increased.

Since 2000, a total of 17 accidents involving nine pedestrians and eight bicyclists have occurred along Maine Street. The most severe accident claimed the life of Shingo Matsumoto, a 21-year-old Bowdoin College senior who died in December 1995 after being struck by a car while crossing upper Maine Street after dark.

“Pedestrians need to realize they don’t have a magical force field around them,” said police Commander Rick Desjardins.

So far, police and college officials say the strobe lights seem to be working. They can be seen in daylight and at night. There have been no accidents since they were installed, and a few drivers have stopped to tell police they like the new system.

“They might startle you at first, but … it does get your attention,” said Bill Torrey, Bowdoin College’s Senior Vice President for Administration and Planning.

Brunswick became the fourth community in Maine to use the strobe lights. Old Town, Brewer and Orono have also installed the warning light system.

If they prove to be successful, Brunswick Police Chief Jerry Hinton said the strobes may be installed at more intersections.

Information from: Kennebec Journal, http://www.kjonline.com/