Traffic light beams red on to pavement for phone ‘zombies’
HONG KONG authorities are projecting pools of red light on to the pavement to stop pedestrians whose eyes are glued to their phone screens from walking into the road.
The patches of red light have been designed for Hong Kongers who do not look up from their devices when they approach busy intersections and so do not see traditional traffic lights.
The new devices have been installed at four crossings across the former British colony as part of a six-month pilot programme and will act as backup to the usual pole-mounted “red man” signal.
“The red light ... can serve to remind pedestrians, especially those looking at their mobile phones, that they should not cross the road when the ‘red man’ symbol is lit,” the Hong Kong transport department said.
If the scheme proves successful in reducing the number of traffic accidents, it will be expanded to other locations. During daylight hours, the projectors shine more powerfully to make the pools of red light more visible.
“There’s always a small portion of people who, for whatever reasons, have the urgency to look at their phones,” Alex Au, an engineer from the transport department, said. “The red light can help them be aware of the traffic and road situation. Of course, we hope pedestrians follow traffic lights when crossing the road,” he told public broadcaster RTHK.
The devices have been called “zombie traffic lights”, a reference to the distracted behaviour of their smartphone-obsessed target audience.
Some Hong Kongers were sceptical as to whether it would make much difference to road safety.
“It’s possible that people eventually get used to the red light and become numb to the projection after a while. I think the best way to tackle this problem is through education and publicity,” said Ivan Wong, chairman of the Wan Chai district council in central Hong Kong.