Why do green lights for pedestrians are kept so much shorter than the corresponding red lights for cars?

Question

I understand that it has to be a bit shorter in order for pedestrians to be off the road when cars get the green light, but why is there such a large time difference?
Seems counter-productive since pedestrians eventually dismiss the notion that crossing at red lights is always dangerous. It's especially true in Dublin.
Does anyone with notions in urban planning have an explanation for that?

Answer 1

It's to allow time for you to think about the meaning of life when the person who pressed the button decided the road was clear anyway and is now going into the greengrocers shop having just come out of the barbers shop.

Sometimes, cyclists press the button out of a sense of moral duty, to get up motorists nose.

It's ok when kids do it because it's a laugh - IN IT!

I know that you are making a serious point. The delay is actually calibrated to make sure that the local authority cannot be sued for allowing insufficient time to allow even the the most dithering of pedestrians to cross.

Answer 2

I noticed that! You're like halfway across the street and the light changes and all the idiots driving start honking at you so you'll move faster! I mean really! Unless you run there is no way that you can make it across the street! Especally senior citizens, they need time to cross the street! Geeze! Then it's about as safe to just cross anywhere as to cross at a stop light!

Answer 3

it seems a lot of folk have miss read your question-the mission of the light is to try try to keep the traffic on the road flowing-that is its main purpose at the same time they must allow people to cross safely and then get back to their main purpose-back on green to keep the traffic flowing,with the minimum time spared interference from us annoying pedestrians,they'd give you 1 second if they could get away with it or install a giant catapult electronically configurated to fire you across in gaps in the traffic without ever stopping the flow of traffic at all, cities would come to a stand still in grid lock if it weren't for them--spare a thought for these poor misunderstood slaves to civilisation that do so much to protect us ungrateful human beings !x

Answer 4

Just pretend you are a child walking across the street or a senior with arthritis and then when you get to the other side you can thank the planners.
Your question became complicated, it's not.

Answer 5

Walk accross the road at a slow pace while timing yourself. It should be about the same as the diffrence in the lights.

Answer 6

Good question, it's as if the government is afraid of anarchy if forced to give some one who is not up to Olympic standards time enough to cross the streets.

Answer 7

DON'T TRUST THE LITTLE GREEN MAN IF YOU COME TO CHINA ! They have a crazy system which allows traffic to ignore the stop light if it's filtering - I've nearly been hit a number of times.

Answer 8

Imagine an old lady trying to make it to the end of the street she's crossing. She needs time

Answer 9

You forgot to mention the amber light. Doesn't that on count too.

Answer 10

its time dinthe normal walking pace to cross the lenght of the road, i think