Tag Archive for 'signals'

Page 2 of 2

You only have to push the button once

In case you were ever wondering, pushing the crosswalk button multiple times doesn’t get you across the street any faster than doing it once. But, if it makes you feel better to push it multiple times, it doesn’t hurt.

And, if you only push it once, there’s always a chance that you don’t push it all the way and you’ll be stuck there until the next light cycle. I always push it a couple times to make sure I don’t get stuck there for longer than I need to be.

There are some interesting comments in this post from the PI’s Seattle 911 blog, such as this from yaddayadda:

I know of at least one mechanical button that doesn’t always respond to the first tap, so I alway press them twice. I’ve also heard from an employee at sdot that there are some buttons that are completely inoperable, that the walk signal comes on every cycle, but the buttons were placed there to placate those who think they have to hit a button in order to get the walk light.

Personally, I’d rather not have buttons and have the pedestrian light come on every signal, especially in very urban areas of the city. Sometimes the buttons aren’t clear to see, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of consistency from intersection to intersection when a pedestrian signal comes on automatically isn’t clear. Several times I’ve seen people ignore the button because they expect the light to change automatically.

Share

SDOT: More all-way walk signals not a good idea

The Seattle PI looks into why Seattle doesn’t have many all-way-walk signals. We currently have an all-way-walk at 1st and Pike downtown and at the Alaska Junction in West Seattle. You may be more familiar with these if you’ve visited Denver or parts of San Francisco. An all-way-walk signal allows pedestrians to cross streets in all directions with no vehicle traffic. However, the drawback is that pedestrians have to wait through two light cycles, one for each direction of vehicle traffic. SDOT says this longer total light cycle would slow down vehicles and pedestrians:

“In 2007, SDOT conducted a comprehensive ‘All-Way-Walk’ (AWW) analysis at more than 70 signals in the downtown retail core area. The study results showed that the vast majority of intersections would actually experience a significant increase in delay for motorists and pedestrians at AWW intersections and also, in turn, other intersections along the corridors. The delay to buses would also be significantly greater,” he says.

I really liked the all-way-walk signals in San Francisco, but can see the definite drawback of having to wait longer to cross. It seems something like this would work best where pedestrian traffic is high and vehicle traffic is low enough to have a quicker signal cycle. Is there anywhere else in Seattle where an all-way-walk would make sense? Maybe somewhere on Capitol Hill? Or what about Pioneer Square?

Share

How to submit a sidewalk or signal request to SDOT

The Seattle Department of Transportation has an online form that allows you to easily report issues that you may come across while walking in the city.

For example, you can report an uneven sidewalk and SDOT will examine the issue within days and then schedule the sidewalk for repair. This most likely means one sidewalk tile will be shaved so that it’s not a trip hazard or that a patch of asphalt will be installed to smooth the sidewalk.

Or, if there is a signal that isn’t timed right, submit a request and the traffic department will install equipment to monitor the intersection. This process takes a couple months for them to install the equipment, gather data on the usage patterns of the signal, and then analyze the data and determine what action to take. From there, it can take another month for any changes will be made to the intersection.

A fair warning, for a signal to be deserving of an automatic pedestrian crosswalk, SDOT’s standards may be higher than yours. Though some urban intersections have frequent pedestrian traffic during most hours, SDOT’s policy seems to require that push-button signals be used in most cases. Still, it may be worth submitting the request to have them study it.

Share

Pedestrian improvements in the Rainier Valley

The Rainier Valley Post (via Publicola) reports that SDOT is doing some construction along Rainier Ave. Most of these improvements are transit-oriented, to the benefit of the riders of the popular bus route 7.

Pedestrians will benefit, too, with new pedestrian signals across Rainier at 39th Ave S and at S Fronteac St. Some crosswalks will be repainted and curb ramps will be added in several places along the street.

The project is expected to continue through the end of the year.

Share