Missing the point of the green man

[DrFfybes]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66292145

Green man could stay on longer for pedestrians in England

I don't actually think this is the proposal at all. In fact on most crossings 4 or 5 seconds is more than adequate (for alert people, those people too busy staring at their phones to cross the road deserve no help).

"What??" you all say.

Well, the thing is, the green man is an invitation to cross. It doesn't matter if it is 4 or 40 seconds. The problem is that most people think that the green man should get them all the way over the road. At most crossings on junctions now the green man is on the nearside - easier to see and also once you've set off across the road you can't see it, which removes the issue of people turning around and walking back if the green man went out whilst they were crossing (yup, really). But if someone arrives at the last second of the green man what is important is the clearance time after the green man goes out to get them over the road.

This has previously been calculated as distance divided by 1.2, and it seems they're proposing to make this 1 second for each meter, so increasing the clearance time.

In reality it will make little difference. On modern (ie in the last 20 years) crossings there are detectors that hold traffic until the crossing is clear, and if there is still someone on the crossing at the end of the clearance time there is an option to hold vehicles for an extra 2 seconds (yeah, no idea why this is a seperate parameter) so unless the crossing is over 10m (4 lanes) then you get 1second per metre anyway.

Paul

[JohnB]

I do dislike the green man being on the pole. I want to use my distance vision to ensure the traffic has stopped, and that's much easier when switching from a sign across the road. I just align myself to see the traffic lights themselves to know when the traffic will stop, and never look at the pole next to me.

[DrFfybes]

I do dislike the green man being on the pole. I want to use my distance vision to ensure the traffic has stopped, and that's much easier when switching from a sign across the road. I just align myself to see the traffic lights themselves to know when the traffic will stop, and never look at the pole next to me.

The idea of the green man being nearside is so that when you look at it you are facing the approaching traffic so more likely to spot the car that isn't going to stop.

[XFool]

I do dislike the green man being on the pole. I want to use my distance vision to ensure the traffic has stopped, and that's much easier when switching from a sign across the road. I just align myself to see the traffic lights themselves to know when the traffic will stop, and never look at the pole next to me.

The idea of the green man being nearside is so that when you look at it you are facing the approaching traffic so more likely to spot the car that isn't going to stop.

Yeah? But, if my experience is anything to go on, it can encourage the light jumpers (i.e. the vehicles).

[Lanark]

The idea of the green man being nearside is so that when you look at it you are facing the approaching traffic so more likely to spot the car that isn't going to stop.

With these crossings pedestrians who start crossing early, because the first half of the road is clear, can no longer see a red/green sign at all, so are left in the middle of the road with no information. I guess this forces you to look at the traffic and not at the green man sign.

[DrFfybes]

The idea of the green man being nearside is so that when you look at it you are facing the approaching traffic so more likely to spot the car that isn't going to stop.

With these crossings pedestrians who start crossing early, because the first half of the road is clear, can no longer see a red/green sign at all, so are left in the middle of the road with no information. I guess this forces you to look at the traffic and not at the green man sign.

If people walk out against a red man that is their choice, although it seems it can still be the driver who is regarded at fault.

However I would never rely on the vehicle lights at junction crossings unless I could see both AND see the approaching vehicles.

A car can take several seconds to get from their sop line to the crossing point, and on a junction with a right turn filter then traffic from one direction can have a green whilst the other is red.

With these crossings pedestrians who start crossing early, because the first half of the road is clear, can no longer see a red/green sign at all, so are left in the middle of the road with no information. I guess this forces you to look at the traffic and not at the green man sign.

I don't think the position of the green man forces you to do anything. It is always your choice. Additionally if you do walk away from the waiting zone before the green man comes on, the kerbside detectors can 'assume' you have crossed anyway or changed your mind, and the system cancels the pushbutton request to avoid stopping traffic unecessarily.

Paul