What pedestrian signals mean for drivers and pedestrians

This week's correspondence contained a request to explain what pedestrian signals mean.

The gentleman who sent me the e-mail expressed an opinion that many people either did not know what pedestrian signals mean or choose to deliberately disobey them. He asked me to explain so they would know what to do.

Perhaps I should start with the traffic signals themselves. They are designed to move vehicular traffic efficiently. In some cases, when they are close together and not synchronized, they don't do that well. Pedestrians are a second thought.

The email writer goes on to say there are many intersections where the vehicle traffic green light is not linked to the pedestrian crossing indicator, which defaults to a solid red hand. You must push the "beg button" to receive a walk signal.

Design standards for walk signals call for three intervals of operation:

• Steady walk—Pedestrians may start to walk across traffic lanes in a crosswalk. The "WALK" indicator should be displayed for a minimum amount of time, allowing pedestrians time to notice and react to the signal. A walk interval of seven seconds should be used. However, if the sum of this interval and the pedestrian clearance time exceeds the maximum green time of the corresponding vehicle phase, a minimum walk interval of five seconds may be used.

• Flashing don’t walk—A flashing red hand symbol indicates it is no longer safe to begin crossing. If the pedestrian has started walking before the signal began to flash, they have enough time to cross the street. Countdown timers (where installed) run for this duration and countdown at the start of flashing hand phase.

• Steady don't walk—A solid red hand symbol indicates that the pedestrian should not be in the crosswalk at this time. This duration is an interval equivalent to sum of yellow and red time of associated vehicular through phase that allows for any unfinished crossing before a conflicting phase comes on.

Once you press the button, the writer says it seems ludicrous to stand there for two to three minutes while the lights cycle through to permit pedestrians to cross.

Please refer back to the paragraph on traffic signals in general. Nobody likes to wait and that includes drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Inevitably, someone has to wait and it is usually the pedestrian.

It is the writer’s understanding the pedestrian countdown is a timing mechanism only and does not indicate the legality of initiating or continuing crossing. He's correct.

Leading pedestrian intervals make drivers wait briefly and represent a change in the way pedestrian signals are timed. When implemented they hold back traffic and allow pedestrians into the crosswalk first. This reduces the chance of a collision with a driver making a turn.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.