“France Installs Orange Pedestrian Light on Traffic Signals”
Pedestrians in Several French Cities Encouraged to Follow Traffic Rules
In a bid to encourage pedestrians to stop at red lights, French cities including Metz, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and Versailles, have introduced orange lights on traffic lights. The lights are designed to light up before the usual red light and are aimed at getting pedestrians to comply with traffic rules. A recent survey showed that French pedestrians often ignore red lights, and 40% of pedestrian accidents in the country result in fatalities.
The new initiative is being trialed and tested, and while it has been embraced in some cities, the city of Versailles has announced plans to withdraw from the program, citing the high costs as the reason for its decision. The Road Accident Prevention Association has criticized this move, arguing that the safety of pedestrians should be a priority above and beyond the cost implications.
It is hoped that the introduction of the orange light will help in reducing the number of pedestrian accidents and fatalities in cities across France. The orange light system is a relatively inexpensive solution that could have huge benefits in terms of increased safety for pedestrians. The experiments will continue, and hopefully, the orange lights will become a permanent fixture in cities across France, protecting the lives of the people who use the roads daily.
