Puffin Ridiculous

The new ‘Puffin’ pedestrian crossings are rubbish.

They’ve replaced the old style (push a button on the post, look across the road to the signal) with a combined push button and signal unit on the post at the side of the pavement. The Department of Transport expained to me that:

1. The signal is positioned so you look in the direction of the on-coming traffic.

2. The new unit incorporates ‘pedestrian scanning’ so it knows how many people are crossing and how quickly they’re going. It also knows if there’s no-one there and cancels the button-push.

3. The signals no longer have a flashing green man and flashing amber light.

Apparently the flashing green man and amber light is the biggie: it was, I’m told, ‘confusing’ despite having been in use for about 50 years. Now, the signal can turn red even while people are cross in order to stop more people from stepping out, but at the same time it holds the cars on red until the people already on the road are safely to the other side. The reason the signal has been moved to the pavement is so that people can’t see it while they cross – so they don’t panic when it turns red when they’re only halfway. The crossing is intelligent and will only release the green signal for cars when everyone is safely across.

This is all well and good, except for several problems. Firstly, if there is one other person standing close to the signal box, others can’t see it.

Secondly, the position of the signal encourages you to look to your right for traffic, yet halfway across you’ll meet traffic coming from the left. On the old crossings, you looked across the road and were taught to look both ways.

The flashing signals were ‘confusing’ yet the DfT also told me that any teething problems with the new crossings were because of the change and people not being used to them. In other words, people are confused by them! Given that there are thousands of older crossings with flashing signals, people still need to be taught about what the signals mean. But people also need to be taught how the new signals work – in fact, Brighton Council have put up a large instructional sign at the North St – St. James St – Old Steine crossings to explain them!

I make that TWO educational campaigns needed, plus the cost of the new signals rather than one road safety campaign to tell idiots what a flashing light means.

Finally, the placement of the new signal boxes is incredibly confusing at multiple crossings. Take a look at the photo. As you walk up the street, there’s a crossing box straight in front of you (the one to the left of the picture), next to a crossing point.

If that signal is green, can you keep walking straight ahead to cross the road?

I had to stop and think about it for a minute, looking round at the four different crossing points and what each of the signals related to. After a minute or two, I worked it out. The answer is NO. If the signal straight ahead is green, you cannot cross the road. In fact, it’s the signal round the corner on the right of the photo that related to that crossing.

The one straight ahead is for the crossing to the left, if you were turning to cross the road you were walking along. However, the button and the signal are marooned on that corner, with no clear indication as to what it’s for. Imagine if someone was standing between you and the signal box on the right. The only signal you’d see is the one in front of you, which might be showing green.

Clearly, these new crossings have been designed by committee. Probably a committee of people who drive everywhere.