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Often in Australia, pressing the button makes the pedestrian light go green. But it has no effect on signal order (it goes green when cars traveling in the same

Often in Australia, pressing the button makes the pedestrian light go green. But it has no effect on signal order (it goes green when cars traveling in the same direction get a green light). What's the point of making us press a button in this case? Why not give pedestrians a green light automatically? Even more obnoxious are intersections where the pedestrian light times out from green to red, but cars still have a green light. You can press the pedestrian crossing button and get a second walk cycle. Again, why not just make the first walk sequence longer? It seems traffic planners don't care about pedestrians.

e40 13y ago
It seems traffic planners don't care about pedestrians. You got that right. I walk 4+ miles/day on city streets and I've noticed a steady erosion of rules designed to make pedestrian life safer and easier. What you mentioned above and this: In addition to lights which are timed to not give a "go" signal to pedestrians unless they push the button, I've run across one that will make you wait until the next cycle unless you press it before the current cycle begins. That is, I push it a second after I would have gotten the "go" signal and I have to wait an entire cycle before it actually tells me to walk. The effect of this? I go anyway, but because the cycle without pedestrians is shorted this is quite dangerous. Here's another trending in my city: buildings which sit directly on streets with parking lots that empty onto streets having their own lights, have separate lights for pedestrians to regulate them while on the sidewalk. So, you're walking down the sidewalk, no where near an intersection and a car comes out of a "driveway" at 20+ miles/hour. Freaked me out the first time this happened. I could have easily been killed as the car was just a few feet from me. My guess: some city planner was paid off to allow this completely unsafe situation.
- Terretta 13y ago
  > trending in my city: buildings which sit directly on streets with parking lots that empty onto streets having their own lights, have separate lights for pedestrians to regulate them while on the sidewalk The Hilton in downtown Philadelphia has one of these. Fortunately there's also an audio cue. Unfortunately, you're on a ten foot wide sidewalk and certainly aren't expecting the beeper to be about you. It's a recipie for squashed pedestrian.
- smacktoward 13y ago
  At least you have sidewalks! It amazes me how many communities (here in the USA, at least) just completely omit them altogether. They're so car-oriented that they actually deny the possibility of walking altogether. You get the feeling that they'd ban shoes if they could. Depressing.
mcv 13y ago
When I was young, on my route to school there was a bicycle crossing that worked like this. Cars always have green unless there's a car approaching from the side street. Bikes always have red unless they press the button. So when I approach at reasonable speed and see that the cars have green, I have to stop, press the button, and then build up all that speed again. Nobody does that. Until there was a police car hidden just after that crossing. I suspect it was a very good day for fines.

e40 13y ago

It seems traffic planners don't care about pedestrians. You got that right. I walk 4+ miles/day on city streets and I've noticed a steady erosion of rules designed to make pedestrian life safer and easier. What you mentioned above and this: In addition to lights which are timed to not give a "go" signal to pedestrians unless they push the button, I've run across one that will make you wait until the next cycle unless you press it before the current cycle begins. That is, I push it a second after I would have gotten the "go" signal and I have to wait an entire cycle before it actually tells me to walk. The effect of this? I go anyway, but because the cycle without pedestrians is shorted this is quite dangerous. Here's another trending in my city: buildings which sit directly on streets with parking lots that empty onto streets having their own lights, have separate lights for pedestrians to regulate them while on the sidewalk. So, you're walking down the sidewalk, no where near an intersection and a car comes out of a "driveway" at 20+ miles/hour. Freaked me out the first time this happened. I could have easily been killed as the car was just a few feet from me. My guess: some city planner was paid off to allow this completely unsafe situation.

Terretta 13y ago
> trending in my city: buildings which sit directly on streets with parking lots that empty onto streets having their own lights, have separate lights for pedestrians to regulate them while on the sidewalk The Hilton in downtown Philadelphia has one of these. Fortunately there's also an audio cue. Unfortunately, you're on a ten foot wide sidewalk and certainly aren't expecting the beeper to be about you. It's a recipie for squashed pedestrian.
smacktoward 13y ago
At least you have sidewalks! It amazes me how many communities (here in the USA, at least) just completely omit them altogether. They're so car-oriented that they actually deny the possibility of walking altogether. You get the feeling that they'd ban shoes if they could. Depressing.

mcv 13y ago

When I was young, on my route to school there was a bicycle crossing that worked like this. Cars always have green unless there's a car approaching from the side street. Bikes always have red unless they press the button. So when I approach at reasonable speed and see that the cars have green, I have to stop, press the button, and then build up all that speed again. Nobody does that. Until there was a police car hidden just after that crossing. I suspect it was a very good day for fines.