Gothamist: Walking Countdown to Come

eve

Sun, 07 May 2006 10:49:30 -0500

I think if there were a timer, people would be even more confused: now, does it count down to when the traffic light turns green, or when they ideally want me to stop before I cross? Sure, it may seem like there's no difference between the two, but people now walk toward the little red man, blinking or not. Bottom line, there ain't no way to control how these New Yorkers be walkin'.

Ryan

Sat, 06 May 2006 12:25:59 -0500

The subway timers would be nice and I'm looking forward to them on the L, but are they going to change anything about the service? Will they make the trains come more often? Yeah, it's annoying to be on a platform when the train feels like it's taking forever, but it's not like I'm going to waste my fare by exiting the station if the train is 15 minutes away. It would be helpful during rush hour when the arriving train is packed and you know how long until the next one, but will they show that before you have to decide whether or not to squeeze on? The crosswalk counters serve a more important purpose, even if a majority of people won't use them. The subway timers aren't going to help keep an old woman (or young man, don't want to stereotype) from getting blindsided by a bus. The only time I pay attention to the crosswalk signs is when I'm driving down 2nd ave. and I want to know if the yellow lights are catching up to me. But even I think the counters would be helpful on really wide streets.

Mike

Sat, 06 May 2006 07:09:22 -0500

The lawyers can't wait for these. Picture this. 2 12 year old boys, one says to the other, I bet you you cant cross queens blvd when the counter gets to 3 seconds. Splat. Lawsuit against the city. Counters are a great idea. Wash DC has them. But in NY, as usual the lawyers will ruin it or at least make us all pay.

Kevin Walsh

Fri, 05 May 2006 22:38:00 -0500

What they need to do is put in longer green lights at intersections instead of a counter. On Northern Blvd in fab Flushing, the cars are the unrivaled rulers, since a pedestrian has to wait about a minute and a half for the Man and then has about 10 seconds before the Hand starts flashing. www.forgotten-ny.com

Brightliner

Fri, 05 May 2006 21:24:30 -0500

I still stand by the assertion that increasing flash rate increases the feeling of urgency, and so do many human factors engineers. As for the post from "Strobe," if you really think simple flashing lights will give everyone seizures, you're very ignorant.

zincink

Fri, 05 May 2006 20:14:53 -0500

one more vote from me for countdown timers in the subway...

Interlard

Fri, 05 May 2006 17:23:57 -0500

Completely pointless. The countdown will be useless to young people, who move faster, and so they'll continue to take risks with lives, in front of stoopid drivers. Older people will feel rushed off their feet. And everyone will continue to look at the light the traffic sees to know if they have a chance to cross. I'm for realism. If the countdown showed you how many seconds until the traffic gets a green light you'd be able to judge for yourself. Imagine the city treating you like an intelligent human. Yeah, right.

Matthew

Fri, 05 May 2006 17:02:41 -0500

They cost more, but make up the savings in diminished electricity costs. From San Francisco's DOT Ped Program: San Francisco "Cities face major financial incentives to replace existing traffic and pedestrian signals with more energy-efficient LED (Light Emitting Diode) versions. Since there are LED countdown signals available, this presents an opportunity to change to countdown signals at many or most signalized intersections with no incremental cost. In fact, the incremental cost is roughly $1,000 per intersection ($130 per signal head) for countdown versus conventional LED pedestrian signals." From Social Design Notes: Start Running Now "Local studies around the U.S. are finding that the countdown signals come at a price. While the countdown reduces the number of pedestrians who start running when the flashing DON’T WALK signal appears, the countdown seems to be interpreted to mean that it is OK to cross the street if there are enough seconds on the clock. Pedestrians are more likely to start crossing the street during the countdown than during the flashing DON’T WALK. This is contrary to the intent of the designers, and of the law." From the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Countdown Timers

Ryan

Fri, 05 May 2006 16:52:30 -0500

Why do people pay attention to crossing signs? A sign will not kill you if you disobey it, but traffic is not so forgiving. Why not just look both ways like your mother taught you? Isn't that safer in the end than trusting the light on the pole, even if that light is smart enough to tell you you have 10 seconds left.

Strobe

Fri, 05 May 2006 16:35:54 -0500

Brightliner wants us all to get epileptic seizures!

Max

Fri, 05 May 2006 16:27:42 -0500

Brightliner: the countdown timers I've seen simply overlay the walking man and the hand, and use the space where the walking man is for the numbers instead (ie, the signals are the same size).

Brightliner

Fri, 05 May 2006 16:19:42 -0500

Why waste even more space on an additional timer? Integrate it into the walk signal. Just have it start flashing slowly (at its current rate) and flash faster and faster until it becomes constant when the light changes to yellow. Numbers don't mean that much to the human brain, they're easy to tune out. But quickly flashing lights get attention. That's why there have been several attempts to put flashing brake lights on cars over the years, although the government refused to allow them.

Sean

Fri, 05 May 2006 15:04:41 -0500

How about a countdown clock at the shuttle stations at Times Square and Grand Central. Right now, everyone just starts running whenever there's a train sitting there. This would be so easy and cheap it boggles my mind it wasn't done years ago.

Max

Fri, 05 May 2006 14:42:26 -0500

Countdowns for the subway have been in the works for years... L will go online in July (that's what all those digital displays in L stations are for, not just fancy clocks), numbered lines going online starting this fall, lettered lines, um, 2009.

jw

Fri, 05 May 2006 14:39:48 -0500

Why do we need this, 98% of people in this city jay walk anyway...i second adam's comment, countdown in subways!

adam

Fri, 05 May 2006 14:35:54 -0500

What a stupid waste of money! If the city council really wants to put in countdown signals, they ought to put it where it'd be useful -in the SUBWAYS!!!! European cities have this and they're an enormous deterent to slitting your wrists while waiting in oblivion for a train. Seriously...I hate the black hole that is waiting for the trains in NYC!!!

MissPinkKatee

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:52:33 -0500

Nobody follows the crosswalk signs anyway- everyone looks at the traffic lights. If it's still possible to cross the street, people do, and waiting for the crosswalk signs will get you railroaded. Installing more crosswalk signs is a waste of money.

hr

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:39:44 -0500

John Liu = media whore.

Toby

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:38:41 -0500

I have seen them in DC where they seem to be automatic and Yonkers where you have to push a button to start time. I am guessing the DOT will go with the automatic type and not the pedestrian activivated ones.

MT

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:30:29 -0500

San Francisco has the countdown lights and they are great. They will be awesome for walking through midtown.

riffola

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:18:21 -0500

The worse offender of a short walk signal is when you cross the Queens Blvd from the Mall towards Sears & Woodhaven.

Max

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:17:50 -0500

Sweet, they have these countdown-style signs in some parts of Boston and they are indeed pretty helpful if you aren't sure when the little walking man first appeared.

S.D.

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:17:20 -0500

Seen these countdown signs in other places like in Rhinebeck (upstate NY). Seems simple enough, but would it be worth the extra cost? Everyday I take a walk and see people look at the crosswalk light, see it as a Steady "Don't walk" and start regardless of cars coming at them.

pm

Fri, 05 May 2006 13:14:19 -0500

Has anyone noticed you can't make it across delancy without running or starting early? They need to add some time to that crossing.