Waiting at Pedestrian Lights

padsc

Where there are pedestrian lights at a junction of several lanes/roads, why does the green man only light up for a fraction of the time the cars are actually stopped by a red light? I'm thinking of the junction just past Jury's Inn in Christchurch but there are many more.

The people waiting to cross end up standing there (or take their chances and run across the road) while the red man is lit but the cars are still stopped, usually for about two minutes. Why can't the green man be left lit for longer?? :mad: :mad:

Peteer

padsc wrote:

Where there are pedestrian lights at a junction of several lanes/roads, why does the green man only light up for a fraction of the time the cars are actually stopped by a red light? I'm thinking of the junction just past Jury's Inn in Christchurch but there are many more.

The people waiting to cross end up standing there (or take their chances and run across the road) while the red man is lit but the cars are still stopped, usually for about two minutes. Why can't the green man be left lit for longer?? :mad: :mad:

Filter lanes?

seamus

Peteer wrote:

Filter lanes?

No, I don't think so. I can think of a number of the ones he's talking about.

I can only think that perhaps the sequence of the main lights changes between the day and the evening, so they don't to confuse people.

There's also the much more likely case that;
a. The guy who did the ped lights did it without even looking at the main lights
b. The sequence of the main lights changed and they never bothered their arse changing the ped lights.

I actually think this situation is much more likely to cause accidents. If someone knows that the ped light is red, but they may be able to cross, they're likely to risk it.

cast_iron

seamus wrote:

b. The sequence of the main lights changed and they never bothered their arse changing the ped lights.

I think this is the most likely.
Perhaps the OP is getting mixed up woth the filter lane for left turning towards Harold's x (from town) also.

There's numerous instances of it around Dublin City (between Suffolk St and College Green / Dame St junction - the hill all the buses come down, Church Lane?? Google Maps is not right). The green light should be automatic when College Gn / Dame St lights are green, but often they wouldn't be, with absolutely no reason for it.

As seamus said, it IS more dangerous this way. Why bother heeding a light you know is badly set up, and then you don't trust any others.

Take O' Connell bridge junction turning left from Westmoreland St watched it for 30 mins the other day waiting for a bus, everything from OAPs to mothers with buggies (and the obligitary skangers) crossing when red as buses, taxis etc turning onto the Quays. So many near misses it was frightning (and this was just 30mins of one day).

BendiBus

The pedestrian lights for crossing the southbound carriageway of O'Connell Bridge are ridiculous. Traffic is stopped for about 60 seconds before the pedestrian lights turn green.