Countdowns for pedestrians trialled at London crossings!
on June 4th, 2010 at 11:21 pmA trial of New York-style “countdown” traffic lights will begin in London in late June, BBC London has learned. A Transport for London study found many pedestrians are unsure of how much time they have on zebra crossings after the green man light goes out. Now leaked documents show eight crossings with illuminated countdown signs will be installed, including in Balham, Blackfriars and Holborn. In the US lights with timers are common. The study authors said: “Research showed many pedestrians assume the only safe time to cross is when the green man is displayed at junctions. “In fact, the green man only signals the invitation to start crossing the road, and the blackout period that follows continues to give people the right of way. “This means even if a pedestrian steps off the kerb as the green man signal goes out and the blackout period begins, they still have enough time to cross the road before traffic starts to move.” The behaviour of pedestrians at the new crossings will be monitored closely. More



