Originally published at: British Columbia flashing green traffic light = pedestrian-controlled intersection | Boing Boing
…
5 Likes
Expecting drivers to learn new ways not to kill pedestrians always works out just great. I’m sure they’ll learn and obey these new regs.
8 Likes
There something similar here in Switzerland, at least in my town. Sometimes they switch traffic lights to flashing orange, then cars must give way to pedestrians. I noticed they’re using it much more since the lockdown, where large swathes of the town started doing it as there was no traffic. Since then i noticed it’s used much more frequently and in the evenings
6 Likes
Really shouldn’t need traffic lights that say “pay more attention to your surroundings, metal-box dweller”.
12 Likes
So much this! I’m all for more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly infrastructure, but when I see people do this at random points in the road I’m always expecting someone to get hurt. 
10 Likes
These are not new regulations. It’s how things have always been, and it’s not notably different from anywhere in the US. Andrew is just reading existing drivers’ guides.
12 Likes
you must say you should have to take note…
a youtuber did quite an interesting item on the dutch traffic light system
some months ago which highlighted a need…
3 Likes
I’m pretty sure that some pedestrian controlled intersections are also traffic calming measures. There are a few near me where the white “walk” sign occasionally starts flashing the orange “don’t walk” hand. Drivers who are looking for that or countdown numbers do slow down in anticipation, but the sign reverts back to “walk” and the light doesn’t change.
1 Like
100% this! If there’s two or more lanes in your direction, you’re in the left lane and you see someone trying to cross the street, DO NOT, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP TO LET THEM CROSS. The people in the right lane cannot see that person, they’re probably not ready to stop, and will probably end up hitting them when they pass your car. You think you’re being polite, but you’re just creating a dangerous situation.
14 Likes
Stopping to let pedestrians jaywalk was a very Saskatchewan behavior. You used to be able to count on it – I jaywalked across the busy wide stroad Albert Street in Regina many times in the 90s. But that behavior has pretty much disappeared for many reasons, some good, some bad.
One is that most traffic in Saskatchewan is pickup trucks, and those have gotten a lot bigger. Pedestrians used to be visible behind pickup trucks, but they aren’t any longer.
8 Likes
Seems backwards to be using flashing lights to indicate “normal”, and steady to indicate “pay attention”. At least it is not as bad as the police video cameras with seizure inducing strobing blue lights that you see in high crime areas of cities in the US like Chicago.
3 Likes
It’s a custom in Seattle to stop for pedestrians mid-intersection on quiet, one or two-lane streets. It makes life better for everybody. It’s awkward, though when a driver stops for you in a busy spot where it’s not at all safe for you to cross. It’s like somebody holding the door open fifty paces ahead of you. Just chill.
Jaywalking is a term invented by the combustible industry. The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking" - Vox
12 Likes
IIRC, and it’s been a long time now, MA used to have red and yellow lights together when it was OK for pedestrians to cross. I’m surprised that didn’t catch on.
2 Likes
It’s different from other parts of Canada, though. When I got my BC drivers license, I’m pretty sure I failed that question because the flashing green is signifies an advanced green in Ontario. I still forget (from time to time) what they mean here.
4 Likes
it drives (heh) me bonkers. this seems to happen most when traffic is light which is when - as a pedestrian - i need it least. if anything, it’s longer to wait for a car to come to a complete stop than it is for the driver to keep going so i can cross behind them
when traffic is heavy, it is nice sometimes not to have to walk several blocks to a marked crosswalk. mostly though that’s when drivers are worried about other drivers and wouldn’t notice me even if i were a gorilla
5 Likes
That’s a quickly flashing green, though. The BC one is much slower. That said, Ontario has been slowly removing flashing green for the advance with green arrows so that multi-stage traffic patterns can be implemented more efficiently. Of course, I’ve also seen flashing arrows, because apparently even in the same province we can’t have consistency. 
3 Likes
I’d never noticed it was a faster flash. That’s interesting. Ontario has never been great with the consistency on street signs and signals.
4 Likes
What’s wrong with flashing red? If drivers need to look out for pedestrians before proceeding, they should be forced to stop and look around, then proceed.
Or flash yellow when no one is around, then if a pedestrian pushes a button, flash red.
6 Likes
I like the signs that advise me to “Be Prepared To Stop”. Dude, I got the brakes and everything. Semper Paratus.
1 Like
