En-light-ened
10/02/2010 10:35:00 a.m.
Pirie St: Backed up traffic and happy pedestrians.
Capital Times has received many complaints from drivers irritated by the timing of the lights, particularly the short duration of the green at Pirie Street onto Kent Terrace, so we decided to investigate.
Sure enough, the lights take about 14 seconds (if you’re lucky) to go from green to red at Pirie Street – enough for about three cars to drive through, and often there are many more backed up Pirie Street.
The lights at Vivian Street give drivers about a minute, and the Kent Terrace lights stay green for about 25 seconds.
However the pedestrian crossing from Pirie Street to the traffic island in the middle of Kent and Cambridge Terraces allows walkers to cross for about one minute 15 seconds.
Enough for this reporter at Capital Times to walk from 100m up Pirie Street, casually stroll down the road and make it across the crossing while the pedestrian light says walk.
Wellington City Council’s Richard MacLean says the intersection is one of the more problematic in Wellington, and the timing is based on priorities.
“One of our guys said you should be thankful for 14 seconds (at Pirie Street). It comes a distant fourth in terms of importance. Our advice is use the Elizabeth Street lights,” he says. And on the pedestrian crossing times, he says it’s the result of being tweaked after complaints about not enough time to cross from the Mount Victoria Residents Association. “It’s the juggling game you have to play.”
This reporter thinks the pedestrians have it far too good, and could give a few of their seconds to poor old Pirie.
Sophie Schröder.
