Exclusive Pedestrian Phase Crosswalks

[mrsman]

This is the only one I can think of: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.939776,-75.0144,3a,75y,85.25h,82.18t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7gwf2JXAwiYbiSv-BoA9NA!2e0!5m1!1e1

At my previous job, when our management from the UK visited, they were aghast that a pedestrian green was combined with a green light for any vehicular traffic at an intersection near our office building.

I don't believe this is an example of a Barnes Dance, particularly as side street traffic doesn't get a light.  It's more of a signalized crosswalk, that happens to be in an intersection.  For this intersection, I would add traffic lights for the side street, with right turns permitted on red, but a green right turn arrow to allow cars to turn without stopping while pedestrians are crossing.


Your post got me thinking about this intersection (Linden / Wilshire) in Beverly Hills, CA

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.067092,-118.407795,3a,75y,234.29h,87.07t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sio85pArRM4d10DVImCGfpQ!2e0!6m1!1e1

There are three phases here:

-  Wilshire Blvd (major street)
-  Left turns from Linden to Wilshire and peds crossing Wilshire.  Notice that because of the skewed intersection, left turners do not come into contact with the diagonal crosswalk of pedestrians.  Right turn on red is permitted though.
- A very short right turn phase from Linden to Wilshire.  This is for anyone who couldn't turn during the previous phase because there were too many pedestrians crossing.

[1995hoo]

DC uses the term "Barnes Dance", though they (to date) only have one, near the Verizon Center.

Supposedly the term "Barnes Dance" comes from Denver and the guy who is credited with originating it. I vaguely remember encountering these intersections in Denver on a school trip in 1988 and again when I stopped there on the way home from a football trip to Laramie in 2007. I hear they've since abolished the diagonal crossing. I do not remember which intersections had this feature, though. Simply been too long and my mind was focused on other things anyway.

I go through the DC intersection you mentioned quite frequently on foot going to and from the arena. It's a bit unique among all-way crossings in that vehicles are prohibited from making any turns whatsoever, though of course many drivers ignore that restriction. The reason is that unlike a traditional Barnes Dance, in which pedestrians never get a "Walk" signal except during the "all-way cross" phase, the Chinatown intersection allows crossing in the same direction as the vehicular green light (e.g., if 7th Street has the green, pedestrians get a "Walk" signal to cross H Street). DC authorities believed they'd have a severe jaywalking problem if the only "Walk" signal were the "all-way cross" phase because people would refuse to wait that long (probably a valid assumption). So they banned all turns to try to keep the traffic moving. In fairness to drivers who aren't from the area, though, that intersection is a very busy place even when there isn't an event at Verizon Center, there's a lot of visual clutter, and the "No Turns" signs can be easy to miss.

I wonder, are there any other of this type of intersection where turning is banned in this manner? In theory, the idea of allowing the all-way crossing is that if people play by the rules, motor vehicles and pedestrians never come into conflict in these intersections, so allowing turns wouldn't be an issue because someone turning would not encounter a pedestrian conflict (you might ban left turns based on traffic volume, though).

[Bitmapped]

West Virginia makes extensive use of pedestrian-only phases, and frankly, they seem like a bad idea.  In downtown areas, people just end up ignoring the pedestrian signals and walk on a green light.  In more suburban areas, they end up stealing a lot of time that could be used to move cars instead.  I'd really rather see a brief pedestrian-lead off like I've seen in Pittsburgh and State College, PA than the exclusive phases.

[mrsman]

DC uses the term "Barnes Dance", though they (to date) only have one, near the Verizon Center.

I wonder, are there any other of this type of intersection where turning is banned in this manner? In theory, the idea of allowing the all-way crossing is that if people play by the rules, motor vehicles and pedestrians never come into conflict in these intersections, so allowing turns wouldn't be an issue because someone turning would not encounter a pedestrian conflict (you might ban left turns based on traffic volume, though).

To answer your question, someone upthread posted a photo of the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto. I've never been to Toronto, but based on the photos on GSV, it looks like all turns are banned and diagonal crossing is allowed, so I assume that it has a similar traffic pattern to 7th and H in DC.

But most Barnes Dances that I'm familiar with only allow pedestrians to cross during the all-red phase, so turns are generally allowed during vehicular green, but usually there is a no turn on red restriction so that there is no vehicular interference during the pedestrian phase.

Despite the delays, traffic usually works a lot better with a Barnes Dance in areas with heavy pedestrian crossing.  At a normal intersection, it's hard to make turns as pedestrians are crossing during the whole green phase.  But with a Barnes Dance, straight traffic and right turners can use the green phase without worrying about peds, and peds can cross without worry of getting hit with a car - but that assumes that everyone follows their traffic signals properly.

[cl94]

DC uses the term "Barnes Dance", though they (to date) only have one, near the Verizon Center.

I wonder, are there any other of this type of intersection where turning is banned in this manner? In theory, the idea of allowing the all-way crossing is that if people play by the rules, motor vehicles and pedestrians never come into conflict in these intersections, so allowing turns wouldn't be an issue because someone turning would not encounter a pedestrian conflict (you might ban left turns based on traffic volume, though).

To answer your question, someone upthread posted a photo of the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto. I've never been to Toronto, but based on the photos on GSV, it looks like all turns are banned and diagonal crossing is allowed, so I assume that it has a similar traffic pattern to 7th and H in DC.

But most Barnes Dances that I'm familiar with only allow pedestrians to cross during the all-red phase, so turns are generally allowed during vehicular green, but usually there is a no turn on red restriction so that there is no vehicular interference during the pedestrian phase.

Despite the delays, traffic usually works a lot better with a Barnes Dance in areas with heavy pedestrian crossing.  At a normal intersection, it's hard to make turns as pedestrians are crossing during the whole green phase.  But with a Barnes Dance, straight traffic and right turners can use the green phase without worrying about peds, and peds can cross without worry of getting hit with a car - but that assumes that everyone follows their traffic signals properly.

Yeah, the Yonge-Dundas example bans every turn movement due to high pedestrian volumes at this location. Major transfer point between the subway and streetcars and three of the corners have shopping complexes, easily being one of downtown's busiest intersections because of that. Lefts are typically banned across streetcar tracks when a left-turning vehicle would have to turn from a shared lane, at least during certain times of day.

[jeffandnicole]

This is the only one I can think of: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.939776,-75.0144,3a,75y,85.25h,82.18t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7gwf2JXAwiYbiSv-BoA9NA!2e0!5m1!1e1

At my previous job, when our management from the UK visited, they were aghast that a pedestrian green was combined with a green light for any vehicular traffic at an intersection near our office building.

I don't believe this is an example of a Barnes Dance, particularly as side street traffic doesn't get a light.  It's more of a signalized crosswalk, that happens to be in an intersection.  For this intersection, I would add traffic lights for the side street, with right turns permitted on red, but a green right turn arrow to allow cars to turn without stopping while pedestrians are crossing.

I like this one the way it is. 

Rt. 38 is a busy road with plenty of traffic lights.  Since this is a ped only light, it won't turn unless activated.  In other words - it rarely turns red.

If you were to put traffic lights facing the side street, then you would get the motorists that refuse to turn right on red or can't turn on red (buses, tanker vehicles, etc).  As it is now, those vehicles just have to wait for a gap in traffic, usually resulting from the previous traffic light.  With a traffic light facing the side street, you'll wind up stopping traffic on 38 for an extended period of time for just a few cars which can only turn right.

[HTM Duke]

There are two such crossings on the campus of James Madison University, but in each case, only one diagonal crossing is marked through the intersection.  Given that three out of four approaches in both intersections cannot turn right on red, the two approaches that lack such signage also lack right turn lanes (making such a movement unlikely), and that all directions turn red during a walk phase, students pretty much cross however they want.

Bluestone Dr and Carrier Dr
Bluestone Dr and Duke Dr

[mrsman]

This is the only one I can think of: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.939776,-75.0144,3a,75y,85.25h,82.18t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7gwf2JXAwiYbiSv-BoA9NA!2e0!5m1!1e1

At my previous job, when our management from the UK visited, they were aghast that a pedestrian green was combined with a green light for any vehicular traffic at an intersection near our office building.

I don't believe this is an example of a Barnes Dance, particularly as side street traffic doesn't get a light.  It's more of a signalized crosswalk, that happens to be in an intersection.  For this intersection, I would add traffic lights for the side street, with right turns permitted on red, but a green right turn arrow to allow cars to turn without stopping while pedestrians are crossing.

I like this one the way it is. 

Rt. 38 is a busy road with plenty of traffic lights.  Since this is a ped only light, it won't turn unless activated.  In other words - it rarely turns red.

If you were to put traffic lights facing the side street, then you would get the motorists that refuse to turn right on red or can't turn on red (buses, tanker vehicles, etc).  As it is now, those vehicles just have to wait for a gap in traffic, usually resulting from the previous traffic light.  With a traffic light facing the side street, you'll wind up stopping traffic on 38 for an extended period of time for just a few cars which can only turn right.

I'll trust your judgment on it, but I would guess that the light probably turns red with some regularity, otherwise it would not meet its warrants for existence in the first place.  Anyways, it would be nice on such occasions to have a green right turn at times when pedestrians recieve walk.  And not speaking for this light in particular, but perhaps one with a similar geometric setup in a busier area (side street must turn right, pedestrian [or bike] crossing traffic), it might make sense to have a light on the side street with a flashing red light.  Right turn permitted for all vehicles after stop, but when peds have walk, they recieve a green arrow.

[bzakharin]

This is the only one I can think of: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.939776,-75.0144,3a,75y,85.25h,82.18t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7gwf2JXAwiYbiSv-BoA9NA!2e0!5m1!1e1

At my previous job, when our management from the UK visited, they were aghast that a pedestrian green was combined with a green light for any vehicular traffic at an intersection near our office building.

I don't believe this is an example of a Barnes Dance, particularly as side street traffic doesn't get a light.  It's more of a signalized crosswalk, that happens to be in an intersection.  For this intersection, I would add traffic lights for the side street, with right turns permitted on red, but a green right turn arrow to allow cars to turn without stopping while pedestrians are crossing.

I like this one the way it is. 

Rt. 38 is a busy road with plenty of traffic lights.  Since this is a ped only light, it won't turn unless activated.  In other words - it rarely turns red.

If you were to put traffic lights facing the side street, then you would get the motorists that refuse to turn right on red or can't turn on red (buses, tanker vehicles, etc).  As it is now, those vehicles just have to wait for a gap in traffic, usually resulting from the previous traffic light.  With a traffic light facing the side street, you'll wind up stopping traffic on 38 for an extended period of time for just a few cars which can only turn right.

I'll trust your judgment on it, but I would guess that the light probably turns red with some regularity, otherwise it would not meet its warrants for existence in the first place.  Anyways, it would be nice on such occasions to have a green right turn at times when pedestrians recieve walk.  And not speaking for this light in particular, but perhaps one with a similar geometric setup in a busier area (side street must turn right, pedestrian [or bike] crossing traffic), it might make sense to have a light on the side street with a flashing red light.  Right turn permitted for all vehicles after stop, but when peds have walk, they recieve a green arrow.

Is that actually ever done? The only places I've seen flashing red lights are where either all directions have them or some directions have a flashing yellow. I *have* seen a non-flashing constant red signal with a "right turn has no green" sign, so something like that might work. Maybe "don't wait for green" could be warranted

[doorknob60]

Seaside, OR has one. This is the signage for the pedestrians:


 


https://www.google.com/maps/@45.99337,-123.927722,3a,75y,172.55h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7i9inAgvqN5A4r50HfPpdw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

It can take an abnormally long time to drive through this light, even when there's very little traffic, due to the pedestrian friendly nature of this intersection. There are I believe 3 car phases (Broadway EB, Broadway WB, and Columbia), and you can potentially have a pedestrian phase in between each one of them. From our house a few blocks north of downtown to get to businesses along Ave A, sometimes it's faster to walk because of this pesky light (I prefer walking anyways when it's not raining).

Boise has had one (and I believe only one!) for at least 18 years now. It's nice.

https://www.google.com/maps?q=boise+id&hl=en&ll=43.617139,-116.202027&spn=0.001552,0.002642&sll=46.593358,-112.015694&sspn=0.066648,0.169086&hnear=Boise,+Ada+County,+Idaho&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=43.617139,-116.202027&panoid=Zni2S4ZKuzmsxtLTQ8DW2Q&cbp=12,64.59,,0,14.98

I was there two days ago, and have been there at least 3 or 4 times, and never noticed it Most of those times I was a pedestrian too and not a driver, which makes that even weirder. Ill keep a closer eye out next time.