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Road Warrior: Ready, set, WALK
Alaina Mencinger, Journal Staff Writer. (Robert Browman.Albuquerque Journal) JOMUG
Published
Modified
Peter Ives lives near Central and Rio Grande in Old Town, where he said tourists — often unfamiliar with Albuquerque roads — and cars clog the streets. The combination can make for a “dicey” intersection for pedestrians, Ives said.
But he has an idea to fix that.
“For increased crosswalk safety, an important modification that has been successfully used in other urban areas, is to program the traffic signals to begin the pedestrian Walk light five to ten seconds … before the vehicle traffic gets a green light,” Ives wrote in an email to the Journal.
So what’s the deal with Albuquerque? What’s the standard head start for pedestrians?
It can vary, said Department of Municipal Development spokesperson Dan Mayfield.
“Some intersections are large, some are small, and some have turn arrows, which means that every intersection is timed differently for pedestrians,” Mayfield said.
At most traditional intersections, he continued, the walk sign turns on at the same time as the green light for cars. The walk sign is lit for seven seconds before turning into a flashing hand. The timing is calculated based on the time it takes a person to cross the intersection, walking 3½ feet per second.
But for some newer intersections, it’s a different story. Mayfield said there are a number of intersections around the city that use what’s known as leading pedestrian intervals, which give walkers a head start of up to eight seconds before the light turns green.
