Idea For Pedestrian Traffic Lights And Pedestrian Traffic

[VicMan]

I have an idea for pedestrian traffic lights. I saw a pedestrian light in San Francisco that included a "countdown" to the right of the flashing red hand (signaling when pedestrians must get to the other side of the street).

In San Francisco the countdowns start at a random number that is the amount of seconds left before the red hand stops flashing and the autombile traffic lights start to change. Once the countdown reaches zero, the lights begin to change.

Also in some areas of San Francisco, passengers are allowed to cross diagonally.

Houston needs to adopt many San Francisco-like measures in order to help the pedestrian traffic in downtown and other places.

[sevfiv]

they have those in DC too...although i remember crossing a very wide street, and the timer came on for ten seconds about halfway through, and it wasn't enough time hehe

[dbigtex56]

I have an idea for pedestrian traffic lights. I saw a pedestrian light in San Francisco that included a "countdown" to the right of the flashing red hand (signaling when pedestrians must get to the other side of the street).

In San Francisco the countdowns start at a random number that is the amount of seconds left before the red hand stops flashing and the autombile traffic lights start to change. Once the countdown reaches zero, the lights begin to change.

Also in some areas of San Francisco, passengers are allowed to cross diagonally.

Houston needs to adopt many San Francisco-like measures in order to help the pedestrian traffic in downtown and other places.

I've seen this type of traffic light - oddly enough, in Watkins Glen, NY (pop. 2,149) circa 1998.

This is not a misprint - it's a very small town. Yet, they were early adapters.

I'm not clear as to why they decided to install such a sophisticated traffic device - and it was only at one intersection - but it seems to me that Houston has been a late adapter to anything regarding pedestrian convenience or safety.

To compare Houston to San Francisco or Watkins Glen is awfully optimistic. Houston drivers simply don't expect pedestrians. There's a learning curve - have you noticed that the light rail/auto collision news coverage has quietly faded away? People - even Houstonians - adapt to conditions, once they realize they might be personally affected. Once people accept that there are such things as light rail or pedestrians, they'll make allowances.

VicMan, when you say "passengers are allowed to cross diagonally", I assume you must have meant pedestrians. How nice for San Francisco. In Houston, we need to concentrate on simpler matters, such as teaching people to not block crosswalks with one's car at stop lights; and looking to the right, as well as the left before making a right turn. That's how my leg got broken, the last time...

Traffic devices are helpful, not just because they address a problem - they make people aware that there is a problem.

[gnu]

I like the traffic/pedestrian lights I have seen in several Mexican cities.

Street A gets the green..then the cross street gets the green..etc...just like normal but no pedestrians can move.

But then the pedestrians all get their green at the same time. ALL vehicular traffic must stop in ALL directions. No turning or anything.

And then its people everywhere...crossing diagonally and everywhich way.

This seems safer to me since there would be no turning movements while pedestrians are crossing and the peds dont have to make two moves on two lights to cross diagonally.

[VicMan]

I like the traffic/pedestrian lights I have seen in several Mexican cities.

Street A gets the green..then the cross street gets the green..etc...just like normal but no pedestrians can move.

But then the pedestrians all get their green at the same time. ALL vehicular traffic must stop in ALL directions. No turning or anything.

And then its people everywhere...crossing diagonally and everywhich way.

(Whoops, I typed "passengers" instead of pedestrians earlier)

San Francisco's diagonal signals are kinda like that. Pedestrians may only go one way when the cars go, but once the diagonal signals turn on, pedestrians may cross any way.

We need to write letters so Houston's pedestrian system is improved.

[GettaClue]

Denver has diagonal pedestrian crossing throughout their downtown area as well. There, they call it the "Barnes Dance" supposedly named after a guy named Henry A. Barnes who didn't invent the concept, but who put into a large-scale use in Denver, as opposed to the smaller hit-and-miss installations in other cities.

More info: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/barnes.htm

Here's an interesting web page which gives formuals for determing the effectivenesss of various pedestrian and bicycle facilities:

http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/pubs/98-107/sect4.htm

Edited October 17, 2005 by GettaClue

[Saddleman]

There are one or two all pedi diagonal crossings at UT in Austin.

[ecal_in_Taipei]

I have an idea for pedestrian traffic lights. I saw a pedestrian light in San Francisco that included a "countdown" to the right of the flashing red hand (signaling when pedestrians must get to the other side of the street).

In San Francisco the countdowns start at a random number that is the amount of seconds left before the red hand stops flashing and the autombile traffic lights start to change. Once the countdown reaches zero, the lights begin to change.

Also in some areas of San Francisco, passengers are allowed to cross diagonally.

Houston needs to adopt many San Francisco-like measures in order to help the pedestrian traffic in downtown and other places.

I agree. Taipei has them in almost all their intersections (countdowns). They also have a few of those diagonal crosses. They seem to work great for pedestrians here. All of downtown should have these at the minimum.

[WesternGulf]

Don't they have the countdown crossing things in the medical center?

[Jeebus]

Houston drivers simply don't expect pedestrians.

"Houston drivers simply don't respect pedestrians.." would have far better described Houston drivers.

I've seen these in Vegas as well, downtown on the Freemont Strip.

[CE_ugh]

Don't they have the countdown crossing things in the medical center?

Yep, on Fannin along the railway.

[VelvetJ]

I have also seen the "count down" traffic signals and thought they were a great idea. They ARE, from what I understand however, a bit more pricey, which may be a deterrent for Houston.

[ssullivan]

Don't they have the countdown crossing things in the medical center?

Yes. They were installed during the MetroRail construction at several intersections along Fannin. Main may also have a couple as well.

[GovernorAggie]

We had these countdown crossings in Charlotte, too.

However, they tended to have an indirect consequence--drivers would eyeball the ped crossing timer to know how much time they have to get throught the light. I know because I am one of the guilty parties!

If I'm not mistaken, Talladega, Alabama, (pop ~17,000) has ped signals that actually talk. This is because of the Alabama School for the Blind being in Talladega. My cousin attended the Alabama School for the Deaf--also in Talladega.