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All too often, we read (and write) about horrible instances of traffic fatalities when motor vehicles fail to yield to pedestrians with the right of way. There used to be a simple solution to this problem, and it was known as the Barnes Dance. Although NYC traffic commissioner Henry Barnes didn't invent the concept, it became named after him in the 1960s by a City Hall reporter named John Buchanan.
The Barnes Dance involved red lights to vehicular traffic in every direction at an intersection, at which time pedestrians were free to cross in any manner they wanted, including diagonally, without having to fear being hit by a car or truck coming from any direction. They exist in traffic systems around the world.
A major shortcoming of the Barnes Dance is that it slows traffic by including a third element of stopped flow: It stopped East-West traffic, stopped North-South traffic, and then stopped all traffic as pedestrians have the complete right of way. It is certainly a pedestrian-friendly measure, and Barnes was a traffic commissioner who knew that the city was about more than getting cars from point A to point B as quickly as possible. He was Robert Moses' foe, who eventually scuttled plans for the Lower Manhattan Expressway.
Critics of the Barnes Dance say that it reduces vehicular capacity of roadways and creates what traffic engineers call lost time. Defenders say that some of that lost time is made up by not having right- or left-turning vehicles back up traffic while waiting for crossing pedestrians who have the right of way. The heart of the issue is how a city defines its priorities: pedestrian safety or motor vehicle capacity.
Mayor Bloomberg is certainly no stranger to innovative or controversial stances when it comes to New York City traffic. Now that the U.S. Department of Transportation has agreed to give $353 million to help NYC investigate congestion pricing, maybe bringing back the Barnes Dance to NYC should be an addendum to PlanNYC.
(Photo of a Barnes Dance pedestrian crossing in Baltimore, MD from the Maryland Historical Society)
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Great article!
I don't imagine this will fly, but if the powers-that-be are reading this, I'm one constituent who would love to see this implemented.
I'm thinking Houston + Christie also Delancey + Chrystie. Worst intersections ever. Crossing that street requires signing a will and suicide pact.
The city should implement this on key major intersections during key hours. It could all be programmed into the signals.
Every week, I almost get hit by some jerk not yielding at a crosswalk. Most of the time I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing, just daring me to step in front of their murder machine. Might makes right. Humanity is the devil.
Hank Barnes was a great traffic commissioner (the first in the nation to get that title I believe, but in a different city...Denver?). I think with the huge influx of pedestrians to this city in the past decade warrants the Barnes Dance's return!
I just have to say, this is the !@#$% article I've ever read on Gothamist. I mean, who knew? Though I am scratching my head, I am glad to now know about the "Barnes Dance" and how it creates "lost time."
Bringing back the Barnes Dance would make the city a much better, safer place for pedestrians. Do it. Do it!
Yeah that's exactly what the city needs - more insane congestion. The traffic sucks a lot more for drivers than for pedestrians - outside the stupid WTC construction, I'm never got stuck anywhere while on foot.
If anything there should be longer gaps between pedestrian lights and car lights on 3rd ave... that area is sketchy to cross any time of the day. The fact that you can't cross an intersection diagonally isn't really an issue.
Hell yes! This would be great to dissuade people from driving in the city.
This actually sounds dangerous to me. You know there will always be some retards in the middle of the intersection when all the lights suddenly turn green.
Yes, doing it ONLY during peak times would be brilliant. (Big difference between the 60s and now - we've got fancy computers and shit.) Traffic flow is already seriously compromised by vehicle vs. ped negotiations at busy intersections. (Heck, make it alternate with the opposite of a Barnes dance - a free turn for cars.)
seriously, I mean, most people can't operate their metrocards properly, can you imagine having a free-for-all in the middle of the biggest intersections of city?
Yes, please bring back the Barnes dance citywide (it's actually implemented in some places now). Pedestrians should be the priority, not motor vehicle drivers.
This should absolutely be instituted in New York. Pedestrians are what makes New York tick; cars are merely a nuisance. I also recommend banning all cars except for taxis, buses, moving and delivery trucks, and the like from Manhattan. Who needs 'em? Can you imagine how much better the buses would work if there weren't so many idiots driving to work in the most mass transit-friendly city in America?
Yes! What a wonderful idea! Large cities are for walking. And although our ancient infrastructure would probably not allow it, it would be great to have underground permanent "dances" much like East Berlin does at large intersections. Pedestrians never have to wait for the cars and vise/versa.
I'm sick of risking my life crossing the stupid street.
I'm all for the Barnes Dance as long as they start ticketing people for jay walking!
Have any of you ever looked at pretty much any intersection at any time of day? I'd say everyone already does the barnes dance. Jaywalking is a sport in this town.
It is a good idea and coupled with the countdown clock WALK/DONT WALK signals could actually work. I don't know it it would help on Boulevards of Death like Queens Boulevard, but it is a worthy idea.
i think this is a great idea. this way pedestrians don't have to worry, nor do the drivers. i am sick and tired of reading stories about people being hit (and often killed) by vehicles not yielding to the pedestrian right-of-way, or not seeing the pedestrian, etc. maybe it slows down traffic but that's probably not all bad, given how many out-of-control and up-the-curb accidents you read about lately.
I've seen this in San Francisco's Chinatown. It works really well, if you ask me. Bring it here!
good idea the problem is that NJ drivers would still turn right on left.
d'oh left = red
oh no! this will mean that bike riders need to actually stop at red lights??
if jay walking is crossing against the light, then I hardly ever see that happening at any major intersection in the city. what kind of arrogant nut bag would cross when there's a red stop hand telling you not to walk?
If it means trying to make it before the light turns red for the pedestrian, then I've see that.
Yes, I would hope it means Bike riders needs to stop at all four lights, too.
Excellent idea! They should also broadcast lively music during the pedestrian crossing period.
I suggest Public Enemy or perhaps a rousing rendition of Metallica's Ride The Lightning.
no, that song from benny hill!
boston does this at many intersections and all it does is give motorists an opportunity to sail through and take a right or left on the red light. i almost got hit yesterday when two cars took a left on a solid red while the pedestrian "barnes dance" walk lights were illuminated. it happens every day. bad drivers are bad drivers. period. what we need are cars that sense when a driver has committed an illegal action (parked too close to a hydrant, run a red light, etc.) and automatically shut off in response. as far as i can tell, both nyc and boston roads would become giant parking lots if that technology were invented.
#25, I'm a delivery driver, and I'd say the number one most annoying thing I have to deal with is the jaywalkers. They're everywhere.
If they implement this, I'm welding a spiked grate to the front of my car mad max style and driving through intersections all over the city.
I will also be blaring Yakety Sax (The Benny Hill song) out of my kickin' system while doing so to add the comedy factor.
Fuck you peds.
Solution: Be aware of your surroundings when crossing the street.
Unfortunately the city caters to the #31s of the city. I've always thought a double red to allow pedestrians total access was worth exploring.
Thing is, when one of those lights is about to turn green there'd be a big problem getting the stragglers out of the street.
#31, rest assured the city will never do this. Despite the biggest mass transit sytem in the world, NYC is a car town, and always will be.
Other cities have mid-block crosswalks, _without stoplights_, where pedestrians cross with impunity.
In other cities, cars that are making a right turn _wait and allow pedestrians the right of way._ Shocking!
Not here. This is New York.
www.forgotten-ny.com
As a pedestrian, I hate this sort of setup. I dislike waiting to cross at a busy intersection when I only want to continue going in the direction I was going. Instead of being able to cross when my direction of traffic has the green light, I have to wait until all pedestrians can go. I usually end up jay-walking. I guess I'm just impatient. In New York, at least, if I want to cross diagonally, I usually don't have to wait too long for the next direction crosswalk to have the walk signal after I finish crossing in the first direction. It works out well for me as a pedestrian, and I'm pretty alert about the cars around me, so I don't usually feel threatened by turning vehicles. If they have out-of-state plates, I just assume the worst and wait for them to go. It's not the end of the world if I have to wait for a car to turn every now and again.
Shibuya, Tokyo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x85iHjUn3ac
No. No. No to this idea. People will still cross the traffic that is stopped in one direction after the dance period. Now you'll have the dance delay, then the usual jaywalking delay on top of that. No way.
SP (#10), it should come as no surprise to find that you have indeed posted the least intelligent comment when you pretend you are worried for the pedestrians' safety when "all the lights" would turn green at the same time after the barnes dance
36, the majority of new yorkers are pedestrians or public transport riders, why should we have to deal with the delay of heavy traffic when we are the majority? too bad if there's a delay when you are driving; get out and walk, the rest of us are doing it anyways.
#38, that's all well and good, but you forget one thing -- cars pollute more when they're sitting and waiting than when they're going somewhere. and until we do away with cars (or do away with their emissions), having them sit and wait more = more bad air that pedestrians (and drivers alike) have to breathe. and new york's air is already dirty enough.
I am all for anything that keeps less cars on the streets. I am constantly amazed at how many people drive regularly in the city. Why is this? Cabs, car services and zip cars make so much more sense if you cannot/do not want to take the bus or train. In a pedestrian city, I am all for anything that makes it safer and more efficient for pedestrians.
I'm going to put velcro on the front of my Prius and see how many pedestrians I can snag with it.
#33 must have come here from somewhere small and dainty.
worth exploring? did you read? it was explored and discarded. mid-block crosswalks in a city? it must have been a city in name only, because it's not going to fly in any northeast city. boston? even more of a car city.
yes, this IS new york. and that's how it should be.
I've always thought that legally cars should have to come to a stop before turning. This would prevent the speeding big swooping non-stop turn from an avenue into a street that mows down pedestrians crossing with the light.
We have a Barnes Dance corner in lower Manhattan at the corner of Pearl Street and Maiden Lane.
It's amusing but most people don't notice that all traffic is stopped because it is so rare.
>>>#33 must have come here from somewhere small and dainty.
Yeah, Maimonides Hospital in Borough Park.
I love NY but not its callousness and disregard.
www.forgotten-ny.com
In Japan, they have crosswalk buttons that when activated, actually cause the red light to change, giving the pedestrian the light to cross. I was AMAZED!!! It was not just a dumb button like the ones that we have here.