(Disclosure: Summit Land Management is a Rose Law Group-related company and contracted with the firm.)
By Paul Basha, Kayla Amado of Summit Land Management
Thank you for your two recent articles on pedestrian countdown clocks and signals. Good to know that pedestrian and vehicle signals are completely separate, and that I need to push the pedestrian button to have enough time to cross a street, and only push it once. Another related question. Sometimes I notice that the WALK signal appears before the vehicle green light appears. Why is that?
Thanks for reading and asking more questions.
Most of us think that cars are much more important than people, mostly because we drive more often and much longer than we walk, and there’s so many more cars than pedestrians. If you doubt this harsh car-first judgment, watch other drivers (or yourself) make a right-turn-on-red after only looking to the left, ignoring the possibility that a pedestrian might be crossing in front of you from your right.
Though, I find it fascinating that many pedestrians seem blissfully oblivious that they are delaying other people with important things to do while they walk so very slowly in a crosswalk in front of a car stopped at a stop sign. Seriously, when they’re in a crosswalk, hindering me, do they really need to stop walking to lick their ice cream cone?! Or stop to have a conversation with someone?!
(Please pardon me, I am trying to begin my cranky old man years.)
Seems to me that some people actually enjoy walking slowly in front of cars, thus making other people late for their appointments. I think these people lack sufficient attention from family and friends, so they force strangers to notice them. They apparently do not know that their future life is entirely dependent on the behavior of an angry person only somewhat controlling a two-ton piece of metal that can accelerate from 0 to 20 mph in a second-and-a-third, which is less than the time it takes to take a step. (Appears I have successfully entered my cranky old man years).
Traffic engineers identify pedestrians and bicyclists as “the most vulnerable roadway users”. We recognize that harm might befall a person walking in front of a car, or a bicyclist accelerating slowly from a stop because they didn’t downshift before they stopped.
Traffic engineers study police reports of traffic collisions. We know that not all drivers are conscientious – looking both ways before crossing, stopping on red lights, driving the speed limit, being attentive, and such. In fact, 94% of collisions are caused by driver error. Also, most collisions occur because two drivers made mistakes. One person committed a driving error and another driver was inattentive. So, us traffic engineers do all we can to force drivers to be attentive to their primary task.
Generally, drivers of vehicles will stop if-and-when they see pedestrians or bicyclists crossing in front of them. So, starting the walk symbol before the green signal allows pedestrians or bicyclists to enter the street, within the crosswalk, first. So, when a vehicle driver sees the green light, they have already noticed a pedestrian or bicycle, and they do not immediately drive ahead rapidly.
The previous Scottsdale Traffic Engineer (not me) many years ago received a call from a resident or tourist concerned about pedestrians at the Scottsdale / Camelback intersection. This traffic engineer visited the intersection several times, plus observed it by camera many more times. He noticed that many drivers stared at the traffic signal ready to leave the instant the green light appeared, everyone else be damned. He had heard of starting the walk signal first at other locations in the country, and thought it might be of benefit at this location.
So, he implemented it. We call it a “Leading Pedestrian Interval”. (Every profession must have its own vocabulary so we can be condescending and arrogant toward other people.) Within a week or so of the new signal timing, the person who called him, called him again and thanked him for the change. The person believed the intersection was much better with pedestrians entering the intersection first. The Scottsdale / Camelback intersection is one I drive through daily, and often walk through. I agree completely, the Leading Pedestrian Interval is very beneficial!
While crosswalks provide zero pedestrian or bicyclist protection, at least some drivers expect pedestrians to be in crosswalks at intersections. No drivers expect pedestrians crossing streets elsewhere. Past studies have revealed that a large number of vehicle-pedestrian collisions occur away from intersection crosswalks, and many result in fatal injuries.
When we’re a pedestrian or a bicyclist, in particular, our life depends on us to be very attentive. Do not wish to name names, but whoever was responsible for creating the human body, did not exercise much foresight. They could have made us much stronger, so strong that vehicles would bounce off us. They didn’t, so we’re stuck in this reality.
In my first professional traffic engineering journal article, published 41 years ago, I mentioned that our profession was obligated to consider both the probability and severity of error. It is quite rare for a vehicle to hit a pedestrian. However, it is usually a life-altering event for the person who was walking, and not in a good way. The person below was very attentive to oncoming vehicles. Notice how far into the intersection he was with the walk symbol and the red circle simultaneously visible. Hopefully, he also viewed Camelback Road traffic that might have been turning left or right, as he crossed the street.
On second thought, people are important and deserve to be acknowledged. Likewise, they deserve to have another ice cream lick or converse with a friend, even if they make us not move for 10 seconds. We can use that time to enjoy other people enjoying life, and maybe even look for the nearest ice cream shop and decide on a flavor!
Curious about something traffic? Call or e-mail Paul at (480) 505-3931 and pbasha@summitlandmgmt.com.
