Pedestrian Signals and Accessibility

Pedestrian safety and accessibility are top of mind for many residents in St. John’s. Since the City announced that nine intersections are changing from automated pedestrian crossings to push button activation, some residents are expressing concerns about safety and accessibility.

City Council and staff are listening to concerns from the public. Below are some facts, traffic signal statistics, and background information about pedestrian crossings at intersections.

Push Button Activated Crossings

The City is working to balance the needs for efficient public transportation service, efficient vehicular flow, pedestrian safety and accessibility by returning certain intersections to push button activation.

Due to a request from Metrobus to remove Pedestrian Recall (automated signals for crossing) at certain intersections on key public transportation routes, the City recently implemented push button activation at the following intersections:

Intersections with push button activation help to provide a balanced approach to ensure we have a reliable public transportation service that shows up on time. Reliable public transportation is an important part of building a healthy city and an effective transportation network.

Did you know?

• There are a total of 110 intersections in the city, 55% of which are automated and do not require a pedestrian to manually activate the request to cross.
• The City has an area designated as the Pedestrian Core (an area from downtown to Memorial University) where 29 of 30 intersections are automated, and do not require a pedestrian to manually activate the request to cross. 

The Pedestrian Core  
The pedestrian core was implemented in 2021 to prioritize automated crossings in the downtown and University area, see map below. Intersections inside the core are set to automated crossing except for the intersection at Harvey Road/Long’s Hill/LeMarchant Road. View the decision note online.

Statistics

 *Note: mid-block crosswalks, and other crosswalks such as RA-5’s (special crosswalks) and RRFB’s (rectangular rapid flashing beacons) that are push button activated are not counted in the total number of intersections.

Definitions

Pedestrian Recall (automated)
The crossing signal is timed and automated. Pedestrians do not have to press a button to request a crossing signal.

Push Button Activated
Crossing signal is activated when a person pushes the button.

Accessible Pedestrian Signal
Signals have audible sound (cuckoo for North-South crossing and a melody for East- West crossings). Pedestrians must press and hold the button for three seconds to activate.

Key2Access Application (K2A)
Key2Access technology offers an accessible alternative that allows pedestrians to activate crossing signals by a fob or free mobile app without having to press a button. It ensures the audible signal (cuckoo or melody) is available for those who are blind or have sight loss. Push button activation is still available in the event of battery loss. The City of St. John’s implemented K2A at seven intersections, in consultation with the Inclusion Advisory Committee in 2019.

Questions and Answers

Does the city consult the Inclusion Advisory Committee (IAC) when making changes to traffic signals?
The Traffic division presents an annual update to the Inclusion Advisory Committee. The most recent update occurred on February 24th of this year. Minutes of this meeting will be made public after they are ratified at the March 31st meeting of the Inclusion Advisory Committee.

When Metrobus requested moving specific intersections from automated to manual the committee was not consulted.

When deemed necessary by the IAC or City staff, a working group is created to help inform the placement and priorities for installations of accessible pedestrian signals.

What’s the plan for when we get a lot of snow, and the buttons are difficult to reach?
Council directed the Traffic division to place the entire City on automated activation for the duration of the winter months, with the exception of major vehicle corridors with low pedestrian volume.

Is the City replacing the old-style buttons with the new light touch style ones, as many of them are freezing in the winter?
The City is continuously trialing different types of buttons with the light touch preferred; however, our salty environment and frequent freeze and thaw cycle proves to be very harsh on our buttons. As a result, staff are constantly doing maintenance on buttons.

What is the city doing to increase the number of Accessible Pedestrian Signals?
The City has installed Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) at 22 intersections in total, this includes Key2Access intersections. The table below provides an update on the status of Accessible Pedestrian Signal installations as of January 31, 2022.

The Annual Accessible Pedestrian Program is a fund that Council has allocated with the intention of completing two to three new APS installations each year. There is currently $86,190.62 in this budget.

The City plans to install APS at 2 to 3 intersections / signalized crossings this year.