Skip to main content

Siemens delivers pedestrian countdown at traffic signals

Siemens’ new Pedestrian Countdown at Traffic Signals (PCaTS) informs pedestrians how long they have to cross the road after the green man signal has gone out, by providing a visible countdown of the time remaining before the appearance of the red man.
March 18, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

189 Siemens’ new Pedestrian Countdown at Traffic Signals (PCaTS) informs pedestrians how long they have to cross the road after the green man signal has gone out, by providing a visible countdown of the time remaining before the appearance of the red man.

The system is compatible with Siemens’ Helios Traffic c signals and can be specified with a new installation or retrofitted to existing sites (including Peek Elite signals).

It features highly visible double stroke LED digits and is enhanced by the use of a flat lens which is ‘black masked’ to minimise sun phantom reflections. The unit may also be fitted with a small hood to further enhance the sun phantom performance if required.

Once installed, the unit automatically detects the blackout period after two learning cycles of the signals. Timing synchronisation with the blackout period is achieved by direct connections to the red and green signal feeds via isolated input circuits designed to ensure there is no impact on controller lamp or safety monitoring.

These inputs also sense the dim/bright state of the signals to automatically dim the PCaTS unit.

Related Content

  • July 18, 2014
    Contracts awarded for London’s traffic signals upgrade
    Transport for London (TfL) has awarded new traffic signals maintenance contracts, worth around US$542 million for up to eight years, which will see the capital’s 6,000 traffic signals upgraded and maintained to the latest, greenest standards. Awarded to Telent Technology Services for west and south-west London, Siemens for north and north-west London and Cubic Transportation Systems for south-east London, the new Traffic Control Management Services contracts will help expand the use of intelligent traf
  • January 30, 2012
    Selecting the right camera for safety or security
    Machine vision systems offer great variety of function and performance. Teledyne DALSA product manager Manuel Romero describes 10 key criteria to aid selection of advanced camera technology for safety or security applications. There are many ways in which machine vision systems can enhance safety and security in transportation, but the ultimate results will only be as good as the image produced. Success relies on correct selection of the camera of such systems, as the features and performance required vary
  • May 8, 2015
    Low-costs solutions to improve pedestrian safety
    David Crawford welcomes low-cost safety initiatives for pedestrians in America. Some 10 people die each week in accidents on crosswalks in the US, that’s more than 10% of all pedestrian fatalities in road traffic incidents - the number of which is running at a five-year high. Ensuring crosswalks are safe is key in supporting the growing enthusiasm for walking as a travel mode. In the last decade of the 20th century, numbers walking to work in the US fell by 26%; while, as recently as 2012, Americans were e