Campaign calls for waiting times for pedestrians at crossings to be reduced

Waiting times for pedestrians at signal-controlled crossings should be made shorter, says Living Streets. As part of a new campaign, the charity is asking members of the public to nominate a crossing for their local authority to review, in a bid to reduce the waiting time and improve pedestrians’ journeys.

Research has shown that 30 seconds is the longest a pedestrian will wait at a signalised crossings before attempting to cross against the ‘red man’, says Living Streets.

The charity said its campaigners have successfully worked with Transport for London to reduce unnecessary wait times. They found that crossing users reported a “significantly better experience” where wait times had been reduced from up to two minutes down to 30 seconds or less.

Research shows that over a quarter of people (26%) would walk more on their local streets if there were more or better crossings.

Stephen Edwards, Chief Executive, Living Streets said: “When it comes to crossing waiting times, less is more. We know pedestrians are more likely to risk crossing the road when they are made to wait.

“Reducing wait times for pedestrians is a quick, low-cost intervention that improves safety and gives priority to people using the cheapest and cleanest way to get around.”