Change the Pedestrian Traffic Light at VHC

Idea:

The full traffic light, solely for a pedestrian crossing, is overkill, in my opinion. During peak traffic hours, the long duration of the red light is enough to back up traffic right into the Smythe Street traffic circle. Would strobing yellow lights not be enough to aid pedestrians without causing unnecessary traffic jams?

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your question! The signal style lights were chosen for this specific location through a request from CNIB. When CNIB ascertains that a given crossings has many people with visual impairments crossing daily, it reaches out to us so that we can work together to make safety upgrades. Studies show that this type of crossing is the safest because it has the highest compliance rates. This is especially imporant for visually impaired people as they cannot always tell if vehicles actually stop when the button is pressed. Although it still isn’t a 100% guarantee, the risk of a pedestrian being struck is still less than with other types of signalized crossings.