‘Pedestrian life is non-negotiable’: Portland moves to restrict right turns at more red lightsSubscribe to KOIN 6's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/...
Do pedestrians get a dedicated cross phase on the island? Don’t they still have to wait for green which also gives the vehicle a chance to turn (when clear)? Or are these specialized right turn lights?
We have a few in Toronto but I can count on one hand how many of those we have.
There are dedicated crossing phases in select places, usually when foot traffic is pretty high, but they are an exception. They are mostly concentrated downtown.
Most other crossing have an “advanced walk signal” where pedestrians are given a head start, then it’s a “free for all”. Hence the example of the person I was replying to. Usually pedestrians don’t care about the countdown and continue crossing as long as it’s still possible, so some impatient car drivers often push their way through while turning. There are also a lot of specialized traffic lights for turns. It’s kind of a mix of everything, depending on the intersection. The short answer would probably be “it’s complicated”.
However I prefer that to how it works in Québec City. They have dedicated phases for pedestrians everywhere, but cars can still turn right on red during the pedestrian phases. So as a pedestrian, you can’t legally cross when it’s green, you have to wait an eternity for all cars to cross in all directions, then you can cross in all directions at once, but motorists can also just push themselves into the pedestrian phase to turn right. I don’t like walking in Québec City for that reason.
Do pedestrians get a dedicated cross phase on the island? Don’t they still have to wait for green which also gives the vehicle a chance to turn (when clear)? Or are these specialized right turn lights?
We have a few in Toronto but I can count on one hand how many of those we have.
There are dedicated crossing phases in select places, usually when foot traffic is pretty high, but they are an exception. They are mostly concentrated downtown.
Most other crossing have an “advanced walk signal” where pedestrians are given a head start, then it’s a “free for all”. Hence the example of the person I was replying to. Usually pedestrians don’t care about the countdown and continue crossing as long as it’s still possible, so some impatient car drivers often push their way through while turning. There are also a lot of specialized traffic lights for turns. It’s kind of a mix of everything, depending on the intersection. The short answer would probably be “it’s complicated”.
However I prefer that to how it works in Québec City. They have dedicated phases for pedestrians everywhere, but cars can still turn right on red during the pedestrian phases. So as a pedestrian, you can’t legally cross when it’s green, you have to wait an eternity for all cars to cross in all directions, then you can cross in all directions at once, but motorists can also just push themselves into the pedestrian phase to turn right. I don’t like walking in Québec City for that reason.