[Baltimore Spokes: This sounds like something out of “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” with annoying overly friendly automated messages. If the sole responsibility of making crossing a road safer lies with the pedestrian then we should consider other options, my personal favorite in the “If this is the best we can do then lets get crazy with the idea” category is have a supply of red capes for pedestrians on the corner and as the pedestrian attempts to cross they attempt to misdirect the car into charging the cape with shouts of “El Toro.” Cyclist could act as as picadores by using colorful suction cup plunger like devices to attache to cars to help increase the entertainment value. If the pedestrian successfully crosses he would get an automated score card that would allow them to compete at local, state or national championships that would be televised as pedestrians attempted to get the best scores as they cross some of the busiest car centric roads. If crossing a road requires great skill to avoid death then people should get some glory from their death defying talents.]
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Today on the Streetsblog Network, we’ve got a post from M-Bike.org weighing in on a new crosswalk treatment in a Michigan town:
Can this crosswalk penetrate a driver’s consciousness? (Photo: R.D. Jones)
crosswalk signs
(the “Enhancer”), with lights, flashing beacons, and a pleasant spoken
instructions have recently been installed in Lyon Township where the
Huron Valley Trail crosses both a newly constructed road as well as
Grand River.They’re expensive, obnoxious, and as far as we can tell, somewhat ineffective.
As for the obnoxiousness, here are the instructions. “Hello. You’ve activated the crosswalk signal. Wait for traffic to stop before you cross. To show traffic you want to cross, place one foot near the curb line. And remember to thank the driver as you are crossing the roadway.”
Why are pedestrians and cyclists instructed to thank
motorists just for following state and local crosswalk laws? Shouldn’t
that be a basic expectation?…[W]hile testing them on Grand River, a van never slowed
when the sign was activated and we were trying to cross. It appeared
they were texting.Maybe we should thank those drivers that aren’t driving while distracted, too.
…
https://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/02/01/comfortable-drivers-and-talking-crosswalks/oldId.20100201115855472