We all know you're not supposed to cross the road when the little red man starts flashing. But how many of us still step off the curb?
At six busy intersections across Sydney, Parramatta and Chatswood, countdown timers will ensure pedestrians know exactly how long they have to cross the road.
The trial will replace the flashing red signal with a yellow signal that displays the number of seconds left to cross. "As an older person I think it's a very good idea," said 69-year-old Vivian Royle. "People are rushing past you and it's good to have an indication of how long you have."
Roads Minister Duncan Gay said: "[The timers] will be of great assistance to our less mobile members of the community, allowing them to make more informed choices as to when it is safe to cross the road."
Patrick Masangkay, of Glenfield, who is 28, said the lights were "great". "They'll probably make me run faster as I cross the road," he said. "It'll challenge me to think 'Oh, I can probably cross in five seconds, I can make it'. It's good to have it."
The timers, which cost about $8000 at each location, were installed on Monday for a two-month trial.The trial will determine whether the lights should be installed more widely.
"Initial feedback on the trial has been positive," Mr Gay said.
Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia Harold Scruby welcomes the trial, but also wants to see timers introduced during other stages of pedestrian lights. "It's great news, even though it's taken a lot of time. But there should also be countdown timers during the wait phase.
"If you look at the behaviour of pedestrians in the CBD, they're crossing like Brown's cows. That behaviour would change if people knew how long they had to wait."
The introduction of the timers follows the deaths of two pedestrians on George Street in May, both involving collisions with buses. There have been 38 pedestrian deaths in NSW so far this year, three of which were in the Sydney CBD.
The trial is among a number of road safety measures being implemented in Sydney, including the introduction of a 40km/h speed limit in the central business district in September and a crackdown on jaywalking in the CBD, with 770 people fined for jaywalking late last year.
The timers are being trialled at the intersections of Pitt and Goulburn streets, Park and Pitt streets, and Elizabeth and Market streets in the Sydney CBD; Campbell and Marsden streets, and Parkes and Station streets in Parramatta; and Victoria Avenue and Archer Street in Chatswood.
Timer technology has been adopted in a number of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.
"I lived in Germany before, and I know it works over there," said Scott Finneran, 28, of Woolloomooloo. "People are a bit more careful crossing the road there."
Crossing timers are also being used in a number of other states in Australia, including Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The decision for a wider rollout of countdown timers in Brisbane, expected to be complete by the end of 2015, was made following a success trial in 2012.
"More than 1100 people were surveyed about their crossing behaviours, with a large majority (76 per cent) believing the countdown timers made it safer to cross. The survey also revealed 84 per cent of respondents found the timers to be very useful, by having the seconds remaining displayed," found Brisbane City Council.
