Chicago Tests Digital Traffic Signals

"The problem is, the pedestrian faced with the flashing don't walk often has no idea how long the warning signal has been flashing. Did it just start, leaving 45 seconds to make it across? Or has it been flashing for 44 seconds, and stepping onto the pavement means the pedestrian is toast?Enter a new traffic device that tells you digitally how many seconds you have left to reach the opposite curb. When the walk signal stops, it is replaced by a NASA-style countdown in big glowing numbers. The device is being tested along Lake Shore Drive at Buckingham Fountain – a frightening crossing for pedestrians given the huge expanse of street to negotiate – and the intersection of Glenwood and Ridge avenues in the city's North Side Edgewater neighborhood."

Thanks to Laura Krafft