Plan to hurry pedestrians across London crossings

Publication date: 20 March 2009

London Mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled proposals for changes to 6,000 pedestrian crossings in the city, which would reduce the amount of time that motorists must wait at red lights.

Under the plans, digital signs would be added at crossings to display the number of seconds remaining for pedestrians to cross. It is thought that the countdown will encourage some people to walk more quickly, while others may elect to wait until the following phase to cross.

The plans have come under fire from traffic safety organisations as they would cut six seconds from pedestrians' crossing time, as well as reducing the number of crossing phases per hour.

Source: ITS International