Red man means danger

A road safety campaign is urging pedestrians not to walk over pedestrian crossings while the red man is showing

This poster is set to become a very familiar sight in Hull over the coming months.
It will be on display throughout the city in libraries, bus shelters, community centres, schools, Sure Start children's centres, and inside buses operated by Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS).
The posters urge people not to take chances and cross roads while the red man on a pedestrian crossing is showing.
If they do take the risk and cross into oncoming traffic, it's usually the case that other people follow them, including children and young people who copy this behaviour thinking that if their parents or other adults are crossing when the red man is showing then it must be safe to walk into the road.
"There is currently a huge problem in Hull of people taking risks with their safety and crossing through the gaps in moving traffic," says Sue Boyeson, a road safety officer with Hull City Council.
"For example, I stood on the pavement by the Ferensway crossing outside St Stephen's recently and saw that many children were happy to stop at the kerb and wait for the green man but adults were prepared to take them across when the red man was showing.
The children tend to know the rules – it's the adults who are showing a bad example.
"We recently mounted cameras in the area and in one hour, between 11am and 12 noon, as many as 754 people walked over the same crossing on the red man.
"Our priority is to increase children's safety and reduce death and serious injury on the roads in Hull, but our footage shows there is a massive problem, especially when you consider that this is taking place on other pedestrian crossings across the city too."

Captive audience

The posters inside buses will send a road safety message to as many as 60,000 passengers who use bus services in Hull every day.
Hull City Council has teamed up with local bus operators to ensure the poster will be displayed in 150 vehicles run by Stagecoach and a further 150 operated by EYMS.
And so when people alight from the buses and cross between the Interchange and St Stephen's, or cross Ferensway towards Jameson Street, the message will be fresh in their minds.
"The beauty of the bus advertising is that it reaches a captive audience, as passengers are bound to see it while they are travelling," Sue adds.
"When they get off the bus, and especially if they have children with them, I urge them to take the warning seriously and wait those extra few seconds to make sure they cross on the green man when traffic has stopped."

Critical importance

Every day bus drivers see pedestrians walking into the road when the red man is showing, not only at St Stephen's but also at Monument Bridge near Princes Quay.
"We are pleased to be working in partnership with Hull City Council because there is a need for this road safety message to be seen and understood by pedestrians in Hull," says Bob Rackley, commercial manager with EYMS.
"Bus drivers have raised concerns because it would be their worst nightmare to be involved in an accident with a pedestrian – they often see adults going across on a red man and this sets a terrible example to children.
"The lights on pedestrian crossings are there for a reason and waiting until they change to green can save lives.
"It's critical that people watch the lights, the road, and the traffic very carefully, and take care not to cross while distracted by talking into a mobile phone or listening to music via headphones from a personal stereo, as these can affect their awareness of what is going on around them and make them more susceptible to danger."

Pedestrian training

Meanwhile, Hull schools were the first in the country to offer pedestrian training for children back in 1992 and, as part of a package of road safety measures, this has helped to dramatically reduce the number of children injured on the city's roads.
More than 2,000 local children aged seven and eight complete their pedestrian training each year.
It includes classroom-based discussions on the need to stop, look, listen and think when crossing a road and to find safe places to cross which can include pedestrian crossings, zebra crossings, and traffic islands.
There is also practical training outside school where children learn to cross the road under supervision from a teacher or other adult.
In addition, Hull City Council is producing a leaflet to inform the public of how to use pedestrian crossings safely.

info

For more information phone Sue Boyeson in the council's road safety team on 300300.