New Crossing System in Japan

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Transcript

00:00Hey guys, Matthew here from our Wheels in Japan playlist.

00:03So the usual way that traffic lights work in Japan is when the light for the traffic

00:09is green, the pedestrian crossing that's going in the same direction will be green.

00:15That's usually how it works.

00:17So the pedestrians can cross there where it's green and the cars are going that way as well.

00:22So you can see parallel with each other.

00:23The only hole in that system is if a car comes around that corner and doesn't look properly,

00:28so a car turns right, comes from behind us and turns right, if they don't look properly

00:32they can collect a pedestrian that's crossing on the green light.

00:35So that's the hole in that system.

00:37The pedestrians and the drivers have to pay attention or people get hit, which does occasionally

00:42happen.

00:43You can see when the traffic light's red, the pedestrian crossing's red, and the other

00:47direction now will be green, so the cars can come the other way.

00:51So recently we're seeing this more commonly.

00:54If the pedestrian lights are green, they're all green.

00:57All the pedestrian lights and all the traffic lights are red.

01:01So in other words, if the pedestrians are moving, the traffic is all stopped.

01:08And if the traffic's moving, the pedestrians are all stopped, which seems to be a much

01:11safer alternative.

01:13We're not seeing it on all intersections.

01:15This one's just down the road from a high school, so that's probably why they've done

01:19it here.

01:20So it's obviously a much better system, because that other system occasionally someone would

01:23go around a corner and not pay attention, and a pedestrian would get hit.

01:27This system's obviously much safer.

01:29When the cars are moving, there's no pedestrians crossing the street anywhere, and then when

01:35it's the pedestrians' turn, the pedestrians are crossing and the cars aren't moving.

01:40So what it means, of course, is that the lights are red for longer for the drivers, of course.

01:48So that's the disadvantage.

01:49But it results in a much safer intersection as far as pedestrians are concerned, so it's

01:54worth it, isn't it?

01:55So you can see now, all the cars are stopped, and the crossing's green.

02:00Good idea, isn't it?

02:02Anyway, there was that.

02:03More videos coming soon.