What’s wrong?
No pedestrian crossing light, Alderney Drive and Portland
Street.
Who’s responsible?
Ken Reashor, god of traffic, 490-6637.
REMARKS
City policy has moved from forcing pedestrians to push a button to
activate a crossing light, to not giving them a crossing light at all.
This Dartmouth intersection, with a painted crosswalk but no light, is
particularly tough for pedestrians, who have to predict several
seemingly random traffic flows. Reashor and his staff didn’t respond to
repeated emails about it.
Send your favourite municipal malfunction to onpatrol@thecoast.ca, or call
422-6278 ext. 113. To follow up on past problems, click on thecoast.ca.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2009.
If you are talking about the traffic light controlled intersection then there is nothing random about the light cycles and pedestrians crossing:
Cycle 1 gives a green arrow to traffic turning right onto Portland from Alderney and traffic coming down Portland can go straight or turn left onto Alderney. Traffic wishing to turn right from Portand onto Prince Albert must yield to pedestrians crossing that side of the intersection.
Cycle 2 Gives the green light to traffic coming down Prince Albert and from Alderney. Pedestrians crossing on the church side of the intersection must obey the walk light on that side while cars must yield to pedestrians crossing the other side of the intersection in the crosswalk.
Cycle 3 gives a green light to traffic coming up Portland from downtown. The left side doesn’t have a pedestrian signal but motorist must yield to those in the crosswalk and the right side of the street is controlled by a walk/don’t walk pedestrian light.
All of these cycles are consistent and don’t change with traffic volume. Pedestrians are not required to push a button as the signals are automatic as the traffic lights cycle.
I’m not sure what the problem is but I use walk and drive through this intersection several times each day and the only thing I could see causing a problem is stupid or lazy people when it comes to learning the light cycles and traffic patterns.
Guess I’m stupid and lazy, because I walk (do lazy people walk? Maybe I’m just stupid) through this intersection every couple of weeks, and can’t make heads or tails out of it. From the angle crossing Portland towards Prince Albert, I can’t see the a light at all– I have no idea which traffic flow has the signal.
But all that aside, I’m still pissed that the traffic engineers are making it harder for pedestrians to cross the street legally. If they going to do that, then they damn well better put up more pedestrian lights. Like at this intersection.
There nothing difficult about understanding the light and crosswalk setup at this intersection Tim. I’d be happy to show you how simple the setup really is.
Basically crosswalk users wishing to cross between the condos and Labour Ready office (no pedestrian signal) have the right of way when traffic signals allow cars to move between Portland (from downtown) and Prince Albert. Motorists must yield to pedestrians crossing on the green light. Common sense should tell pedestrians not to cross when the lights are in another cycle.
You have to obey the pedestrian signals when it comes to the 3 other sides of the intersection.
The light cycle never changes order even when traffic volume is low so all it takes is watching one complete cycle to clue in.
And I forgot to add that I’m confused how you claim the angle blocks your view of the light from Portland (next to Labour Ready correct?), look up towards the lanes closest to the church and you’ll manage to see at least one of two overhead traffic signals. I can clearly see them so I’m not sure where the issue is.
VOR, just because you think you’ve got it figured out doesn’t mean that it’s not confusing to everyone else. There’s no reason to NOT have a crossing signal. I simply avoid this intersection because it scares me. And it’s got to be especially confusing for anyone visiting downtown dartmouth for the first time.
jennier – I don’t think I’ve got it figured out, I know I do. It’s doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how it works, of course that crosswalk is on one of pedestrian route frequented by HRM’s not-so-bright crowd from the welfare neighbourhoods or the NS….
Whatever, VOR, you’re clearly awesome. Or something.
Anyway, if there is no pedestrian signal at the intersection, then what are you going to point at wildly when you’re yelling at the vehicle that almost just ran you over because buddy doesn’t think you have right of way? Hmm?
Not claiming to be awesome whatsoever jennier. I just have a grasp on how this intersection works, if others can’t figure it out then its too bad.
wayyyy simpiler way to do – Step one : Close eyes step 2 : Run like a retard step 3:win or lose . But yea I tend to agree with VOR because if your a darksider that uses that intersection ( I do plenty enough ) often – ITs easy to figure it out . Even without knowing it – just watching direction of car travel will give up the secret !!!
Here’s a tip. Walk 10 feet up Portland, towards downtown and cross. Easy to do, perfectly legal, and you avoid the crosswalk entirely. Not many cars go through that area of Portland (save for rush hours) anyways, so it’s not a big issue.