Why Can’t Pasadena Automate Its Crosswalk Signals?

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GUEST OPINION

A pedestrian on Garfield and Colorado Blvd. hitting the crosswalk button with his elbow (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)

Pasadenans trying to walk while maintaining non-contact social distancing are deeply frustrated by numerous intersections requiring pedestrians to push a button (aptly nicknamed “beg buttons”) to get a walk signal.

By Misch Anderson

Those of us who have wailed to the City to make the pedestrian recall (the technical term) automatic on all signals have been waved away with the instruction to use our elbows instead of our hands to push the button. The City’s flabby response has moved at least one resident to use their foot instead, kick-boxing style.

There are, in fact, some technical issues, which come down to time and money, as to which we can apply our collective ideas and frustration energy to come up with a solution.

Functions of a pedestrian button

First off, it is helpful to know that pedestrian buttons have a couple different functions: they can ask the signal to change or they can ask the next signal to be longer to allow a pedestrian enough time to cross. The length of time can be 25-40 seconds, depending on the width of the street (many of which are insanely wide in Pasadena).

It is also helpful to keep in mind that Pasadena has a lot of old and patchworked infrastructure. That the flip side to a City with deep history but shallow pockets.

Caltrans

Pasadena has several hundred signalized intersections. Caltrans owns some of those (my guess is the signals adjacent the freeways, including the 710 stub). Getting Caltrans to act on anything takes more time and patience than anybody has, now or ever, so we will just leave those signals out of this.

Pasadena’s signals

That leaves 312 signalized intersections under Pasadena’s control. Only 31 of those are automated to give pedestrians a WALK signal. Of the remaining 281, about 250 intersections do not have automatic pedestrian recall and would need to be reprogrammed for that.

Reprogramming takes 20-25 minutes per intersection, and it can be done only at the City’s Traffic Management Center. Under the Safer At Home order, the Center can have only one engineer in it at a time, and that one engineer already has essential traffic management tasks. Another staff person would need to do the reprogramming, which would take 80-105 hours. That means that by the time signal reprogramming could be implemented, this particular need may have passed.

Inflexible transportation system

We have an inflexible transportation system that negatively affects the City’s resiliency and ability to make fast changes. City residents and our elected officials (and voters to put them there) absolutely must make this ship more adaptable and resilient to be able to respond to future crises.

So what can we do quickly and cheaply?

First, we can get more flexible in our thinking and communicate better. We tend to look for all-or-nothing systemic answers to situations that call for adaptive, creative and experimental approaches. Pasadena’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is worried that a phased approach to reprogramming signals and putting signs on those beg buttons will confuse people into thinking all signals are reprogrammed.

But I do not think so. As low as my regard sometimes can be for people, I think a sign over a button reading (in all relevant languages), “No button necessary! This signal has been changed to automatically give a WALK signal” is pretty clear.  Such a sign also lets me know that the City is paying attention to this issue. A few additional words can communicate that it is a process. Signs on not-yet-reprogrammed signals can instruct me to use my elbow (or foot). The City considers this a pandemic-only measure, but I think Pasadena’s boasts about walkability would gain integrity if we considered it permanent for more intersections.

Citywide street signage

Where does this leave us folks who are walking to our essential jobs or just need to get the heck out?

The good news is that in the next week or so the DOT is rolling out citywide street signage for the duration of the Safer At Home order to slow motorists and remind them to share the road safely with pedestrians, joggers and cyclists. The order will be accompanied by information on scenic walking routes and COVID-19 health reminders.

A challenge: Learn and invest

I applaud this news and look forward to seeing the roll-out. I thank our DOT. I also challenge the DOT, the City’s elected official and ourselves as voters and residents to try it out, to push it to its best adaptive potential, to change what does not work about it, and to keep searching for CAN-DOs. The long game is for all of us to learn and invest in greater City resiliency.