Gwyneth sends along this pic and notes…
I’ve noticed some of our pedestrian signal buttons have been moved a bit towards being more accessible … A good first step….
Chris Billingsley
Robert Butera
Robert Butera
Decatur Metro
Robert Butera
At Home in Decatur
Julie
altmod
Parker Cross
Steve
Steve
Robert Butera
An incidental benefit: I will no longer have to pick up my 2-year old so that he can reach the button.
This is a big frustration of mine; making the pedestrian have to work so hard to secure a safe crossing. I think we should just have automatic walk signals in all of downtown. Seems often they don’t work, or if you didn’t push early enough it won’t turn into walk, though it seems you have right of way even …so you go. Thus increasing disregard for accurate lights. A small downtown should make WALKING safely the first priority. Pushing the button at all means that Walking is only a priority some of the time….
I agree about automatic pedestrian signals. I’ve walked up to an intersection many times where the light changes to green in the direction I’m walking before I’ve had a chance to hit the button. So the light in my direction of travel is green but the crosswalk signal says “don’t walk.” I choose to walk in those instances because the cross traffic has the red light, but I’ve had several cars turning right or left almost hit me. In several instances the driver has yelled at me for crossing when the crosswalk signal says, “don’t walk.” Regardless of who’s legally correct in this instance, it would be nice if we could avoid this issue entirely and just have crosswalk signals synchronized with the lights so that cars don’t feel entitled to run over pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Agree they should be automatic.
A GSU microbiology study showed 72% of Decatur crosswalk buttons have “high levels of contamination” including yeast, staph, and mold. Much higher than national average of 38%.
Was in downtown Denver recently, where they have a 4 way stop at some intersections for pedestrians. It felt strange and wonderful all at once!
Those are often referred to as “Barnes Dances”, named after a traffic engineer named Barnes (duh), who thought up the idea. They frequently have crosswalks marked in an “X” from corner to corner besides the ones directly across the street. Anyone can cross anywhere.
Not only should button pressing be unnecessary, but the walk signal should precede the light change by a handful of second so the pedestrian can step in the road so the cars can see them before turning the corner to run the pedestrian over 🙁
Many of the midtown crosswalks across Peachtree (and elsewhere) now have this timing. The professionals call this a “Leading Pedestrian Interval.”
The fact that Oklahoma City has better pedestrian infrastructure than Decatur or Atlanta is embarrassing.
Yeah, and they having oil pump jacks working right in Downtown, near the Capitol.
I crossed on a “don’t walk” parallel to cars that had a green light. The light changed when I was in the middle of the crosswalk (corner of Ponce and Commerce) and I got run over by a car. State law in Georgia: if you are in a crosswalk with a “don’t walk” sign and you get hit it is your fault. Agree that we shouldn’t have to push a walk button in order to get a walk signal!
Total agreement with everyone. It is crazy that as a pedestrian you have to wait during a green light. I don’t imagine they have this problem in Berkeley.
I double dog dare any DPD cop to ticket me for walking against a “Do Not Walk” light when the coast is clear and the other signals are such that I should have the right of way.
Don’t worry, JT. They won’t ticket you unless you get hit by a car.
Another solution to the vexing problem of crossing the street is to have the City hire white-gloved, dedicated button-pushers who push the button for you as you approach the intersection. This would pay due respect to pedestrians, ensure complete accessibility, eliminate (or at least reduce) the spread of pathogens, and create jobs in the process.
A chicken in every pot, a button-pusher on every corner!
The chickens aren’t in the pot, they’re roaming free on Ansley.
Not for long – they’ll soon be contained by a fence!
we should make the cars have to hit buttons to cross an intersection
Aren’t most of the buttons just placebos anyway? I know the one at Clairemont and Commerce doesn’t do anything! And the one at Ponce and Ponce Place also doesn’t do anything! Maybe they lowered them to give kids something to do while the light does its normal thing?
I hope “more accessible” means they’re being moved to the sidewalk or pedestrian side of the poles on which they’re mounted.
In many cases, the buttons are on the road/traffic sides of poles, making them hard for pedestrians to reach and vulnerable to damage from cars, buses, and trucks that cut a corner just a little too close.
The crosswalk at W Trinity by Saint Thomas More is awful. I’m surprised I’ve never heard anyone else complain about it. It lasts long enough for someone to step off the curb but there’s no way you can actually make it all the way across the street before it changes to do not walk. We call it the russian roulette signal…
Have you mentioned that to anyone at the City?
Also poorly lighted at night.
Why is that a problem? The “Walk” part simply means you can start walking. You’re not supposed to stop just because it turns to “Don’t Walk”. Unless you’re Rain Man…
Very good point, Steve. I will!
The problem is the cars that don’t realize we still have the right of way because the crosswalk sign has changed.
Still, how is that a problem, other than of driver inattentiveness or ignorance of the law? It’s how all crosswalk signals work. There will always be a point when it changes to “Don’t Walk” that you are supposed to complete crossing, no?
Actually, the problem is that the button is so far from the curb and the walk signal stays on for all of about 2 seconds before switching to “don’t walk” so often the signal is already flashing red before you can even start crossing, especially if maneuvering a stroller or walking with small children. I’ve just put in a request to the City on SeeClickFix.
Call the nice folks at DeKalb Traffic Ops and they may even get to it today. They’re very quick to go out when alerted to a crosswalk signal or traffic light issue. (404)297-3947
Agreed. SeeClickFix will ultimately work but it sends the issue to people who aren’t responsible for fixing it, who then pass it along to DeKalb County. You can cut out the various middlemen and/or potential for bureaucratic inertia by calling the number directly.
I keep their number handy in my phone so that I can call in issues immediately– cutting out delays by me forgetting to do it later! DeKalb Ops just needs the heads up to git ‘er done. ( One time I even had a call back to say a crosswalk signal had been reset before I’d started back home from the library! :0)
I like the ones that start counting down while you are in the crosswalk so you can anticipate being run over.
So all of this conversation about how the push buttons don’t work for actual walkers… but alas we’re going to MOVE THEM TO A BETTER HEIGHT??? Solving the wrong problem excellently….