Brisbane City Council is rolling out a trial of touchless pedestrian crossing buttons in a bid to improve safety and accessibility for residents in the city.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said motion sensor buttons were popping up in cities around the world and were now installed at two locations in Herston for the three-month trial.
“Elbows, knees and knuckles are now the new normal when it comes to touching pedestrian buttons but this new technology isn’t just about hygiene, it’s about accessibility,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The motion sensor technology allows pedestrian calls to be placed with movement, which will make them more accessible to people of all abilities and the elderly.
“There are two trial sites at this stage along Bowen Bridge Road at Herston Road and Butterfield Street, and if the trial is successful, and if successful, this technology is anticipated to be rolled out across Brisbane over several years.
“We want everyone to be able to travel around Brisbane as safely, efficient, accessibly as possible.”
He said the new sensors would also improve efficiency for Council by reducing the need for signal servicing.
“Pedestrian buttons are one of the major reasons for signals needing to be serviced and the touchless buttons are set to reduce the number of faults to be examined and repair.”
“Changes like these improve operational efficiency and maintain a safe crossing for pedestrians. Just like our transition to paperless parking metres, which will save ratepayers $33,000 annually, less time spent on servicing will deliver cost savings in the long run,” the Lord Mayor said.
In addition to the sensor trial, automatically-timed pedestrian crossings have also become permanent in some Brisbane CBD streets as part of Council’s pedestrian safety efforts.
