Sasha on the Street » Intersection

The Countdown is On

Sasha — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:15:00 +0000

I was recently part of a discussion about the countdown signals at intersections. Designed for pedestrian’s they count down the seconds for one to cross the street. Some intersections are based purely on a countdown clock (i.e they start a fixed time and countdown to zero), some are based on sensors in the road (i.e when a car pulls up to the intersection the countdown clock begins) and some are based on a combination of these two (i.e the clock counts down but if no car pulls up to the line than the signal reverts back to the walk sign).

Some drivers are now using the countdown as either a primary or secondary cues in their decision making process at intersections.

I’m guilty of it myself using the countdown as a measure of whether to speed up or slow down when approaching an intersection, but it is always a secondary source of information the traffic light is the primary factor in my decision making process.

Is it wrong that we combine both factors when determining what to do at a traffic light? Ultimately the traffic light governs what to do at the intersection but I wonder if these help to reduce the number of yellow and red light ‘runners’? Are there any studies on the impact of the countdown on the driver? What about for the pedestrian? Are there fewer pedestrians who get ‘caught’ in the intersection?

Round and Round We Go

Sasha — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:28:54 +0000

My friend Natalie is obsessed with roundabouts. And why not? They improve road safety, keep traffic moving more efficiently and reduce both air and noise pollution.

North America has been slower to adapt the roundabout, our focus has been the signalized intersection. But in Europe the roundabout is widespread.

Ontario is about to start construction on its first roundabout on a provincial highway. This bold move should pave the way for future roundabouts across the province. Although it will take some getting used to I think change sets the stage for breaking away from the ‘norms’ in Ontario.

Our drivers are too complacent and if a roundabout helps to decrease the number of accidents and increase the efficiency of vehicles than we are all the better for it. I look forward to a future in Ontario with more roundabouts.

Driving Distractions

Sasha — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:33:42 +0000

As the clean up of yesterday’s accident here in Toronto continues I thought more about distractions while driving. Recently California changed the laws with respect to talking on your mobile while driving; California has become a ‘hands free’ state. Chrysler also announced this week that it will be adding wi-fi to some of it’s new release 2009 models. What does wi-fi mean in terms of driver distraction?

This video is a good example of capturing ‘safe’ driving. (But I cannot take credit for finding this. My boyfriend found this video back in July and posted on his blog.)

Ready, Set, SCRAMBLE!!

Sasha — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:26:18 +0000

Today marks the opening of the scramble intersection at Yonge and Dundas. Toronto wants to be at the forefront of North America’s transportation safety and is experimenting with these intersection. With the commissioning at 11am today, if this is a success there is a plan to open more within the city, including Yonge and Bloor.

What is a Scramble Intersection?
A scramble intersection allows people to cross in any and every direction, while traffic is stopped in all four directions. But when the lights turn green for traffic, pedestrians are asked not to cross, allowing cars to freely turn left or right.

Tokyo is famous for the scramble intersection and here is the famous video.

Tokyo Shibuya Scramble Kousaten 2