Certainly it is critical – as a matter of safety – that traffic signals be well-maintained. However, it appears that the $160 million being allocated to upgrade traffic lights in Maine is designed with only vehicles in mind – the primary goals, as stated in Monday’s article, are “to save time, fuel and driver frustration.”
The re-timing of traffic lights could leave pedestrians with less time to make it across intersections, a reader says.
Pedestrians, however, seem to be left out of the equation entirely. If lights are re-timed to give drivers shorter waiting times and coordinated to allow them to pass through major thoroughfares more quickly, pedestrians (who are not sitting in climate-controlled comfort, insulated from the weather) are bound to experience longer times standing at cross streets waiting for a “walk” signal, and have less time to traverse intersections as a result.
Last year, pedestrian deaths in our state were at a 24-year high. I wonder why the safety and convenience of all users of our streets do not appear to be incorporated in this upgrade project – or, if they are, why your reporter did not write about those aspects.
Ellen D. Murphy
Portland
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