West Hollywood is famous for being, well, a little different sometimes.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it was one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to install bright amber, flashing motion-sensor warning lights in its crosswalks.

The lights, which have been installed at three intersections along Sunset Boulevard, are embedded in the pavement and flash on and off as pedestrians scurry or shuffle across the crosswalk. They line the entire length of both sides of the sidewalks, and flash in sequence from one side of the roadway to the other.

While the lights work during the day, the driving force behind the concept is to draw attention to pedestrians at night.

How do they work? “They’re motion-activated by microwave sensors when pedestrians enter the crosswalk,” said Sharon Perlstein, city engineer for West Hollywood. “And they’re on a timer, so once they’re activated they flash for a few minutes, then go off until they’re activated again by another pedestrian.”

The warning lights are being tested in several other crosswalks in West Hollywood with high pedestrian activity and more may be installed in the city later this year.

So far, both drivers and pedestrians along Sunset Boulevard seem to think the warning lights are a bright idea.

“They’re new and different, so people are a little surprised sometimes,” Perlstein said, “but I think people realize they’re beneficial, so the response has been very positive so far.”

To date, the flashing crosswalks have been installed at the intersections of Sunset and Weatherly Drive, Alta Loma Road and Sunset Plaza.

In addition to West Hollywood, a few of these pedestrian-friendly crosswalks have been installed in Santa Monica and Glendale.