Image: Martin Fisch.
The New South Wales government has become the first state to tinker with pedestrian lights at intersections in such a unique way to boost the level of safety for people crossing the street.
Under a new road safety program, the government is investing $5 million to calibrate the timing of the lighting at signalised crossings by installing new traffic light infrastructure to give pedestrians their own green light or more time to cross before traffic starts turning.
The move was announced by NSW Minister for Roads Duncan Gay, who said the work responds directly to two coronial inquests, which recommended improvements should be investigated when pedestrians and motorists have a green signal at the same time.
“You can’t fight the laws of physics – pedestrians come off second best in crashes – which is exactly why this program is so important,” Mr Gay said.
According to Mr Gay, “it’s not just pedestrians that will benefit,” as the improvement work is going to provide an additional safeguard for motorists by reducing pedestrian blind spots when turning at lights.
The risks posed to pedestrians at busy traffic intersections are wide and far reaching, with potentially catastrophic consequences for pedestrians who are left exposed to the speed and the impact of an incoming vehicle.
And the numbers supplied by the NSW government paint a grim picture of what it’s really like out there at intersections.
According to the state government, there have already been 34 pedestrians killed on NSW roads in 2015 compared to the 26 killed this time in 2014.
The government said that road safety experts have identified 560 intersections across NSW that need to be updated to better protect pedestrians and reduce the risk of a crash.
And those highest risk locations are the first to be upgraded, with those in busy urban areas where pedestrian and vehicle crashes being more likely to happen taking top priority.
The government has given a time frame for the project’s completion, expecting it to be finished within three years, with work beginning immediately.
