Ground-level traffic lights for pedestrians constantly looking down at smartphones are set to be trialed in Sydney as Australian authorities seek to drive down the road death toll.
It comes amid alarm about rising road fatalities this year, with officials this week launching the “Towards Zero” advertising campaign to increase awareness about road death rates.
In addition, the New South Wales (NSW) government is shelling out A$250,000 (US$181,000) to test “in-ground traffic-light technology” at key crossings in Sydney’s central business district, NSW Minister for Roads Duncan Gay said.
“Pedestrians are less protected in a road crash, and are therefore more likely to be seriously injured or killed,” NSW Centre for Road Safety’s executive director Bernard Carlon said in a statement. “This is why we need to create a road system that keeps them safe, and this includes situations when they may not be paying attention. The lights are aimed at pedestrians using mobile phones who are not looking where they are walking.”
Carlon said the trial is expected to start in December at five sites and last for six months.
Sixty-one pedestrians died on NSW roads last year, a 49 percent jump from 2014, he said, adding that fatalities this year have so far increased by five from the same period last year, to 31.
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