In a move towards making the city more pedestrian friendly, London has installed 18 pedestrian crossings which show ‘the little green man’ by default. The lights that are biased towards pedestrians have been dubbed ‘Green Person Authority’ traffic lights, and they will show a constant red light to motorists unless approaching traffic is detected, whereupon the light will temporarily change to green.
Transport for London have their hearts set on creating some kind of ambler’s utopia, announcing that these new crossing additions will help make London ‘the world’s most walkable city.’ This certainly reflects the change in behaviours we have seen adopted during and post lockdowns, with 31% of London residents claiming that they are now walking to places they used to travel to via personal vehicle or public transport. At their height last year, walked journeys soared from 35% to almost 50%.
This move has been directed by London’s re-elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, who wants to create a more sustainable transport network, and has pledged to be ‘the greenest Mayor London’s ever had’ following the planned expansion of Ultra Low Emission Zones.
Perhaps these new developments will affect how driving instructors teach their lessons in these areas. I also wonder whether local councils will follow suit and create systems that are greener and more pedestrian friendly. Are we likely to see these kinds of systems cropping up in places such as Newbury and Thatcham in the near future?