Skip to main content

Melbourne trials light-changing footpaths

The city of Melbourne, Australia, is trialling new technology in a bid to improve pedestrian safety at intersections. Lights have been installed in footpaths along the edge of the road at the intersection of Little Collins Street and Swanston Street. They change colour between red and green in time with the pedestrian crossing signals. The lights will be switched on around the clock, helping people walking at night or looking down at their phones know where the footpath ends. The intersection was cho
March 27, 2017 Read time: 1 min
The city of Melbourne, Australia, is trialling new technology in a bid to improve pedestrian safety at intersections.

Lights have been installed in footpaths along the edge of the road at the intersection of Little Collins Street and Swanston Street. They change colour between red and green in time with the pedestrian crossing signals. The lights will be switched on around the clock, helping people walking at night or looking down at their phones know where the footpath ends.

The intersection was chosen for the trial due to a large number of people who cross roads at the intersection and disobey pedestrian crossing signals.

At the end of the twelve month trial, Victoria’s road safety agencies will assess the footpath infrastructure’s suitability for roll out at other intersections across Melbourne.

Related Content

  • Prevention is better than cure says Antaira’s David Zaveski
    November 2, 2016
    Antaira’s David Zaveski looks at how to improve the resilience of Ethernet systems. Detection and monitoring, and the subsequent management of transport systems, is becoming ever more sophisticated and also integrated as ITS spreads wider across cities and along highways and rail corridors.
  • Jeddah juggles transport needs of residents, pilgrims and tourists
    December 22, 2015
    Mass pilgrimages, new tourists and a growing population lead Jeddah to seek some smart transport solutions as David Crawford finds out. Rationalising traffic movement and public transport in a major Middle Eastern business and tourist centre that is also a gateway for millions of religious pilgrims every year is the challenge for the 20-year Jeddah Strategic Plan and the Jeddah Public Transport Programme (JPTP) it spawned. The latter is costed at US$8bn.
  • ITSA’s Shailen Bhatt looks to the future
    March 6, 2018
    The new boss of ITS America is fizzing with ideas. Shailen Bhatt talks to Adam Hill about the need to rebrand the ITS industry, how technology can leverage tax dollars – and where the Star Wars universe fits in to his philosophy. Shailen Bhatt has a big job on his hands. The CEO and president of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America is the second to hold the post in two years following the resignation last July of his predecessor Regina Hopper. It has not been the easiest time for the
  • ‘One in four drivers still using handheld phones while driving’
    September 21, 2017
    New research by UK motoring association the RAC reveals that nearly one in four drivers still makes or receives calls while driving, despite the doubling of penalties for the offence in March 2017, to six points and a £200 fine. In September 2016 the RAC revealed that the illegal use of handheld mobile phones at the wheel had reached epidemic proportions. Days later the Government announced the penalty for the offence would increase to six points and a £200 fine in a bid to stamp out the dangerous habit.