Robbie, interesting explanation but gotta disagree...check the timing of the "walk" at University Bay/Farley and University..or W Wash and Fairchild..or quite frankly dozens of others...the walk sign is nowhere near long enough for the intersections...again, to require it on pedestian and cycling lane crossing or continue the dangerous practice of hoping drivers "get it"..well just don't agree...at all. Pedestrians deserve a lighted right of way just like cars.
________________________________ From: Robbie Webber <[email protected]> To: Troy Thiel <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 9:55 AM Subject: Re: [Bikies] Machinery Row Intersection Feedback A bit of a thread hijack, but.... Actually, although you can finish crossing the intersection when the DON'T WALK is flashing, pedestrians - and bicyclists using the crosswalk - are legally not supposed to start crossing when the light starts flashing. And pedestrians aren't supposed to cross at all unless they get a WALK light, if one is present. One advantage to being a bicyclist, instead of a pedestrian, is that we can legally cross the intersection using the green cycle, and not need to wait until we get a WALK. Of course, in the case of the John Nolen/Blair/Wilson/Willy/Path intersection, bicyclists trying to follow the Cap City Trail from the East Isthmus Path to the Lake Monona Path are on the wrong side of the street to act like other vehicle operators, so the WALK cycle is much more important. And yes, most of us find waiting for all the WALK lights a ridiculous way to cross the intersection. And since we are on the subject of why WALK lights don't automatically come on at all intersections, it's because the WALK light causes the red for the cross traffic to be longer. That is, it lengthens the crossing time for everyone - pedestrians, bicyclists, car drivers - in one direction and delays the green for the cross traffic. That is because pedestrians need more time to cross than people driving cars. The traffic engineers don't want to mess up the timing on the streets by giving this long green all the time, so it only comes on when the button is pushed. Whether that is a good reason to make pedestrians push a button to cross is another question, but that is the reason the WALK light doesn't always come on. Robbie Webber On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 7:17 AM, Troy Thiel <[email protected]> wrote: I know "Pedestrians have the right of way when in crosswalks...even with a don't walk sign"...legally...
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