By Eliza Ridgeway

A pedestrian trots expeditiously across the now-dark crosswalk.

Many of the flashing crosswalk lights installed in February along San Antonio Road have already gone dark, leaving pedestrians without the warning lights they expect as they enter the busy intersections.

Defective battery packs cause the lights, inlaid in San Antonio’s pavement at five crosswalks, to fail, according to Jim Gustafson, Los Altos engineering services manager. He said that the contractor who installed the lights has taken responsibility for the malfunction and ordered replacements.

“They’re being manufactured right now,” Gustafson said. “They should be here in a few days, … (and) they could probably be put in within a few days.”

In the meantime, the city has directed the contractor to put up signs warning pedestrians of the faulty lights. The warnings, paired with plastic bags obscuring the crosswalk push-buttons, were posted over the weekend.

City Manager Doug Schmitz noted that because the city has not yet signed off on the completed job, the expense of the adjustments would fall entirely on the contractor.

Residents who noticed the darkened lights had contacted the city, the police and newspapers with concern about the premature failure of the devices.

“The first that I noticed these lights were not working was well over a month ago,” said Los Altos resident Bill Goodman. “The city has a good-sized liability there, because people think the lights are working. There’s nothing there that says the lights aren’t working right. Today an elderly woman with her dog was in front of me. She pressed the thing and started walking into the street. A truck was barreling toward her down the road.”

Contact Eliza Ridgeway at elizar@latc.com.