In uk.d-i-y, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Mike Barnes writes:
In uk.d-i-y, Invisible Man wrote:
The local authority recently changed a puffin to a pelican near us
after at least one fatal accident apparently because some elderly
persons are lost without a red or green man the other side of the road.
In busy areas it is often impossible to see the lower level signals if
there is a crowd waiting to cross.

Well, yes. There's a reason why traffic lights are placed so high. It's
a pity that it never occurred to anyone that the same reason applies to
pedestrian lights.

I can't see the point of moving the red/green man from the other side of
the road to this side. I can think of no advantages but *lots* of
disadvantages.

Reasons were given in the various Puffin crossing docs I read.
Pedestrians are looking in the direction of the oncoming traffic,
and more likely to spot a vehicle which isn't going to stop.

That seems pretty flimsy. And it seems to me more likely that the
pedestrian will cross on red, without that warning red light being in
front of them. I've known it happen a couple of times, on both occasions
with people who didn't hesitate at the roadside. Once I think they were
fooled by a car stopping for a green light (the reverse of the problem
you describe). The other time they approached from the right and so had
a perfect view of a green light (for vehicles) but were never in a
position to see a red light.

IMO there's simply no substitute for a red light in the pedestrian's
path.

--
Mike Barnes