Pelican Crossing Countdown Trial Launches Today

As previously reported, an 18-month trial of countdown clocks on pelican crossings began this morning at a junction beside Southwark station. Pedestrian Countdown, as the scheme is called, will, it is hoped, "make London safer for all concerned and smooth the flow of traffic to help keep London, and its inhabitants, moving". They've chosen some brassy locations for the trial: Oxford Circus and the traffic-choked 'mare outside Holborn station, as well as junctions in Tower Bridge, Balham, and the City (full list here. Unfortunately, the hoped-for inclusion of Countdown's bongs has not been implemented; TfL are soliciting comments and feedback, though, so if you want to see Whiteley as you wait to cross the road, you know what to do.