Pedestrian crossings: the 'green man' getting slower ....

[FROSTYBALLS]

Recommendation for the length of time the 'green man' is on at traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings to be increased:

The green man is getting SLOWER... to give Brits more time to cross (msn.com)

[Bob110023]

Perhaps they should employ STOP THE OIL protesters. The public then have all day to cross.🤣🤣

[Cyker]

This is really really stupid, absolutely asinine - We have had pedestrian controlled light crossings for at least a decade!

These systems sense when people have stopped crossing then change the lights automatically - Why does the timing need to be adjusted at all?! What would be better is to roll out such systems to crossings that don't have them already instead.

This just seems like another subtle way to make emissions worse and increase traffic and congestion, especially as I bet they will not correct the light timing and synchronizations between sets of lights to take into account these new delays so everything will go out of phase, creating more congestion!!

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Not all traffic light controlled crossings have sensors.

Pelican and Pegasus crossings don't.

Puffin and Toucan crossings do.

For example one half of a pelican crossing across a dual carriageway just down the road from our cul-de-sac, takes an age to change in favour of pedestrians, and often people are safely able to cross before the change. Then after several minutes the green man illuminates when there is no-one waiting to cross or crossing and stays on for the full duration of time.

 

[Cyker]

Yes!! I come across this frequently too and the inefficiency grates on my OCD! - The pedestrian hits the button, nothing happens for ages, they cross because traffic clears, then an age later the lights change for what I term 'the invisible man' to cross.

If all of these crossings were upgraded to pedestrian controlled ones, so they detect pedestrians and change, then when they are gone change back, it would solve so many problems!!

There is a set on the A10 that work perfectly:

You press the button and the system waits for a break in traffic and immediately changes when it detects one; If there isn't a break within a certain time period, it changes anyway so pedestrians are not waiting too long.

As soon as you finish crossing, it allows traffic to flow again, but it has a generous time-out so even if Mrs Snailkins is crossing, she has plenty of time to cross without getting run-over.

*All* old timed pedestrian crossings should be upgraded to be like this, instead of wasting loads of money making stupid pathetic timing tweaks that won't do jack in the grand scheme of things.

Just another example of mismanagement and trying to do things on the cheap, when they could do things properly and use that money to slowly and progressively upgrade the existing ones!

[FROSTYBALLS]

36 minutes ago, Cyker said:

*All* old timed pedestrian crossings should be upgraded to be like this, instead of wasting loads of money making stupid pathetic timing tweaks that won't do jack in the grand scheme of things.

Just another example of mismanagement and trying to do things on the cheap, when they could do things properly and use that money to slowly and progressively upgrade the existing ones!

Ideally yes, but yet another pressure on Local Authority budgets, and in reality there are other priorities on which to spend the money .....

[Cyker]

Indeed, tell me about it!

I just feel the money they're proposing to waste making silly little timing tweaks could be put to better use to make meaningful upgrades to existing systems - I get that they wouldn't be able to do as many, but a rolling program of maybe a handful a year, maybe targetting the most used ones first, would make a better difference (In my opinion at least! )

 

[Haliotis]

Well, in our general area, the pedestrian crossing lights have no automatic timing to suit demand conditions.  What I have noticed is “safe to cross” times vary wildly between one crossing and another.

At senior schools near to where we live, the crossings on the main road have an exceptionally long delay in favour of pedestrians.   Yet, the inward/outward road into the Fosse Park shopping precinct (outskirts of Leicester) has a crossing where the “safe to cross” time is very short.  And this crossing serves people leaving/entering one of the parking areas, and quite a number of these pedestrians are elderly and/or have walking difficulties needing the use of wheelchairs or wheeled walkers in many cases.

So, quite rightly, the safety of children is considered, but the elderly/infirm can just take their chances.

[Bper]

What's all the fuss you won't need them when the 15 minute cities come to your town. Walking and cycling will be the only way to get around.

Don't worry about the elderly or disabled they will be stuck in their homes waiting for the grim reaper to transport them .🤬

[Haliotis]

18 hours ago, Bper said:

 

…….Don't worry about the elderly or disabled they will be stuck in their homes waiting for the grim reaper to transport them .🤬

We are in our late 80’s. Last December my wife had a fall which resulted in 3 fractures to the bottom of her spine.  This has left her unable to leave the house without being accompanied. She cannot walk around shopping centres, garden centres, etc., without a rollator or use of a shopping trolley, and then how long she can do this is very limited.  She also now has a blue Badge.  Other restrictions apply inside or outside the home.

so, Bob, I cannot find your comments amusing.  We used to be caravanners, and I am gutted to see how quickly we have fallen into the disability group.   With this in mind, remember that you will also grow old, and you just don’t know how your mobility might suffer at some stage, or how severe and how quickly it could deteriorate.

Best regards,Bob, and I wish you well.

[Bper]

2 hours ago, Haliotis said:

We are in our late 80’s. Last December my wife had a fall which resulted in 3 fractures to the bottom of her spine.  This has left her unable to leave the house without being accompanied. She cannot walk around shopping centres, garden centres, etc., without a rollator or use of a shopping trolley, and then how long she can do this is very limited.  She also now has a blue badge.  Other restrictions apply inside or outside the home.

so, Bob, I cannot find your comments amusing.  We used to be caravanners, and I am gutted to see how quickly we have fallen into the disability group.   With this in mind, remember that you will also grow old, and you just don’t know how your mobility might suffer at some stage, or how severe and how quickly it could deteriorate.

Best regards,Bob, and I wish you well.

Albert, the whole point of my post was the utter unfairness of 15 minute cities and the utter contempt the implementation of this will have on the elderly and disabled. It's called sarcasm.

Best wishes to you and your wife.👍

[Haliotis]

Take your point, Bob.  It’s the stupidity of the “one-size-fits-all” jobsworths in authority.  Until I took early retirement/voluntary redundancy at 61, for the last 9 years I  cycled to work throughout the year regardless of the weather.  I did this for reasons of keeping fit.  Now, at 88, I am not sure whether I could safely ride a bike.  I’d like to try on a traffic-free cycle track, but she who must be obeyed is  fiercely adamant that this is not going to happen.

The 15-minute cities will fail in just the same manner as will pollution/congestion zones - people will just go to out-of-town shopping precincts, and be prepared to go distances rather than be fleeced and dictated to.    We live in Leicestershire - I only visited Leicester city centre to visit Leicester-Volkswagen - usually once a year - but now I have a Toyota (and will go to Listers of Nuneaton) visits to Leicester centre are now a thing of the past.  Leicester doesn’t yet have these zones, but the road planners (what a joke!) have made travelling anywhere in the city unpleasant.