Crossing Countdown To Be Trialled

BBC London is reporting that countdown traffic lights, popular in many US cities, will be tried out later in this month at selected zones around London. Pedestrians in Holborn, Balham, and Blackfriars will be the first to see a countdown clock affixed to zebra pelican crossings, indicating the seconds remaining before traffic begins to move. Analysts for TfL believe that vital seconds are being wasted by cautious kerbside crossers who, upon seeing the green man vanish, assume that their right-of-way has been curtailed. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that most Londoners are happy to hove blithely into the street, dodging taxis and cycle couriers with a near-telekinetic skill. Time will tell if London will accept foreign-born crossing measures, though the diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus has been hailed a success. The Beeb has a full list of the sites that the 18-month trial will utilise.