Comment by DrScump | Hacker News Reader

Comment by DrScump | Hacker News Reader

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In Santa Clara, California, there are several crosswalks at intersections not controlled by a traffic light. There is an ongoing problem with cars not properly yielding to crossing pedestrians (I mean, like, ever). I almost got killed in one twice in one week. As a driver, I get rude treatment (and some near-collisions) when I stop for pedestrians. A pedestrian was killed in the one near Halford a couple of months ago.

The city solution: enforcement? Ha! No, they put in a new fancy overhead signal of a style completely unique (and, to my reading, non-compliant with the actual vehicle code) at one of these crosswalks (just west of Kiely).

The problem: when a crosser presses the call button, a pair of overhead red lights flash for a fixed cycle of time. But (in CA, anyway), a flashing red light means "stop, and proceed when safe" by law, but the signage simply says "Stop on Red".

So, people are confused as to how long to stay (the full cycle? or only as long as it occupied? or only as long as the near half is occupied? or, ?)... and almost half continue to blow through the intersection regardless.

Ambiguity in such contexts is inherently unsafe.

> In Santa Clara, California, there are several crosswalks at intersections not controlled by a traffic light.

Isn't that what a zebra crossing is for? Give pedestrians permanent right of way so they can always go and don't need a light and everyone understands that they need to yield.

On a road with high traffic speed and not enough visibility of pedestrians waiting at the side of the road, most motorists won't yield

What about a pelican crossing? Red yellow and green lights for cars like at a junction, activated by pedestrians pressing a button. Wikipedia says these only came to the US in the year 2000, which seems ridiculous.

People still blow past them, in my experience. The only real way to make roads safer for pedestrians is to remove all the cars.

Wow. Surely (and especially if there are red-light cameras) that'd be an automatic ticket, with fine and points? Same for not stopping at a zebra crossing. I can't say I've ever witnessed this sort of behaviour in the UK, except maybe as exceptional events shown on 'World's Worst Driver' clip shows on TV...

It happens to me at least once a month. It's regular enough that you have to pay attention whenever you're crossing here, even if you have the right of way and you're in the middle of the road and there are bright flashing lights indicating your presence.

I think about 25% of drivers should have their licenses pulled, because it's my experience that they don't have the judgement to operate a motor vehicle safely.

In some jurisdictions (like mine - Los Angeles), traffic cameras have been deemed illegal because the law stipulates that a person must witness the infraction, and a camera doesn't count.

They're on multilane, high-speed roads (meaning a bridge/tunnel or traffic lights are the only actually safe solutions).

In Split, Croatia they have these zebras across multiple lanes, without traffic lights or a central island (those are the ones they paint yellow now). These are the most dangerous. Even when you want to yield to a pedestrian, you have to be careful, because when you stop, the pedestrian is now obscured by your car, and other cars usually just speed by, or even go around you. The only cars in Split that actually yield to pedestrians before they step onto the road, are the ones with Zagreb plates, their driving culture is better.

About the overhead signal, why isn't it a regular traffic light? Here they just put a regular red/yellow/green traffic light that's operated by a button, no confusion.

Part of the problem with motorists not yielding at zebra crossings is because many pedestrians are not aggressive enough and behave as though the car has right of way.

What seems to work for me in most situations is to walk up to the crossing while making eye contact with the driver and not slowing down or breaking step until it is clear that if I go further I will be run over.

The driver must then decide whether or not I really mean to walk out in front of him and most don't really want to run me down so they stop.

Seems like a good way to end up dead right.

Similar to a few places in Los Angeles

Flashing red light = stop sign is in most people's driver's ed, but it seems like most people don't know how to react to it (like you, I see some people simply blow through and others wait indefinitely)

Ambiguity in such contexts is inherently unsafe.

For that reason I think, my local municipality has started putting signs with instructions on these types of traffic lights. I am thankful.

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