Warning as pedestrians see red over green man

LIVES are being put at risk by jaywalking prompted by the “unacceptably” long time that people have to wait to cross busy junctions in Scottish city centres, campaigners have warned.

Pedestrians are tempted to step out in front of traffic in frustration at having to wait up to two minutes for the “green man” to switch on.

At some junctions in Glasgow, people on foot have to wait while vehicles in each 
direction are given two green lights before they have a chance to cross safely.

These include the junction of Hope Street – the main northbound bus route through the city centre – with St 
Vincent Street. Pedestrians also suffer waits of nearly two minutes at the Hope Street junctions with Argyle Street and West George Street, and the Argyle Street/Wellington Street junction.

The longest waits in Edinburgh include the Queen Street junction with Dundas Street and Hanover Street.

Living Streets Scotland, which campaigns for pedestrians, said such delays tempted people to take risks which could lead to death or injury.

Keith Irving, who heads the group, said: “Hope Street is Hopeless Street when it comes to pedestrians – up to two minutes to cross the road at the green man is an unbelievably long time in a noisy, 
polluted atmosphere.”

Police figures show there were more than 400 pedestrian casualties involving vehicles in Glasgow city centre from 2006-11, including five deaths and 97 serious injuries.

Irving said: “Pedestrians should be able to cross streets safely, directly, without unnecessary and unreasonable delays, and where it suits them. Long delays encourage risky behaviour by people, which can have tragic consequences.

“Delays in traffic signals showing the ‘green man’ also treats vulnerable road users as second-class citizens. In our busiest streets, they should be the top priority.”

Irving also highlighted as “completely unacceptable” the wait to cross Buchanan Street, Glasgow’s most prestigious shopping street.

Local authorities decide the time between each green man phase at traffic lights. Glasgow City Council said it had a 
maximum wait of one minute, 50 seconds – ten seconds 
more than the maximum in Edinburgh.

However, guidance from the UK Department for Transport states: “Pedestrians are more likely to disregard the red man signal if they consider the distance they have to walk, or the time they have to wait, unreasonable. When waiting at a junction in bad weather, a driver may be frustrated but is generally warm and dry. A frustrated, cold and/or wet pedestrian is more likely to take what otherwise they would consider an unacceptable risk.”

Ellen Booth, senior campaigner officer for road safety lobby group Brake, said: “The rights of drivers take priority over pedestrians. We want to shift that priority to people on foot, which means ensuring they are not left waiting a long time to cross.”

Glasgow City Council said it was improving crossings for pedestrians, and casualty rates were falling – although it 
only provided figures for all accidents rather than just those involving vehicles.

It said 268 pedestrians were injured in the city centre in the three years to last month, compared with 347 in the previous three-year period and 393 in the one before that.

A spokesman said the city centre had many one-way streets, which enabled pedestrians to cross parts of some junctions while traffic lights were green on other parts.

He said: “The figures appear to be maximum times to reach a full green pedestrian phase on all legs of a junction.

He continued: “We are building more green time 
into many of our signals and increasing the safety time 
between green pedestrian and vehicle signals – and investing millions in the city’s walking and cycling routes.

“This has supported a substantial and sustained reduction in accidents and casualties in the city centre, with both down by over 25 per cent in recent years.”

Lesley Hinds, the City of 
Edinburgh Council’s transport convener, said: “In Edinburgh, the maximum waiting times are 20 seconds for midblock [between junctions] crossings and around 100 seconds for other crossings.

“We aim to reduce pedestrian waiting times as far as 
possible, as we have found that this reduces the likelihood of people crossing before the green man.”