Councillors in Bristol have approved changes to signal-controlled crossings across the city that would allow pedestrians to cross immediately, ‘regardless of whether traffic is approaching’.
On Thursday (20 March) Bristol City Council’s Transport and Connectivity Policy Committee unanimously voted for a recommendation in a report from head of highways Shaun Taylor for a city-wide roll-out of ‘pre-timed max settings’ on signal-controlled standalone push button pedestrian crossings.
Update 21/3/25: the above was updated after the proposal was carried unanimously.
The report explains that the pre-timed max setting works in practice the same as current arrangements, with pedestrians pushing the button and waiting for the green person symbol.
‘On receiving the invitation to cross, the green person symbol is activated, and the crossing audibles sound and [the] tactile cone rotates (for visually impaired pedestrians).’
However, a pre-timed max setting of 30 seconds means that if no one has used the crossing in the last 30 seconds, the green person symbol will be ‘prompt on demand’, i.e. immediate.
Once a green person symbol has been activated and finished, the timer resets to 30 seconds before the crossing returns to a state of prompt response.
The report states: ‘This both ensures traffic doesn’t get too congested, and that pedestrians get regular prompt demands. A simpler way of explaining is that if no one has used the crossing in the last 30 seconds, the green person symbol will be prompt to pedestrians when they push the button.’
The report states that feedback from councillors in wards where a small number of crossings have been converted has been ‘overwhelmingly positive’
It quotes one ward councillor as saying: ‘The instant Green man is going down very well in [Bishopston & Ashley Down], and they all seem to want one now!’
The plan would see the change implemented on three main types of stand-alone pedestrian crossings – Pelican crossings, Puffin crossings and Toucan crossings.
The report adds that sites that are converted to the new settings would be monitored by council officers and 'if they find any significant issues or delays to other modes of transport (particularly Public Transport) then we reserve the right to return the crossing to local control, as appropriate’.
