Green light in your palm (with photos)

You may have noticed that yellow boxes have been mounted onto the pedestrian signal poles at some pedestrian crossings. But did you know that the yellow boxes are there to help you cross the road safely?  

     Transport Department Senior Engineer Li Chi-chiu said today (December 30), "These yellow boxes, mounted at elbow level of the pedestrian signal poles, are the tactile units of the Electronic Audible Traffic Signals (eATS) system. These units can be divided into two types: one for all pedestrians and another providing assistance for visually impaired people.  

     "The one with a palm symbol and a red cap is the push button/tactile unit for all pedestrians.  The device will be activated once a pedestrian presses its lower yellow portion engraved with a palm symbol. Then a 'beep' sound is generated and the message 'please wait' will be displayed on the red cap indicating that a demand for the pedestrian green has been registered. The traffic signal controller will give the green signal to the pedestrian as soon as possible.

     "The device is provided to optimise traffic capacity at junctions with heavy vehicular traffic and low pedestrian flow. The pedestrian signal will not turn green until it is activated by pedestrians through the push-button unit. Pedestrians who want to cross the road are required to press the button and then wait for the signal to turn green before crossing," he said.

     The tactile unit, on the other hand, lets visually impaired people know when it is safe to cross the road. It is a wholly yellow box without a press-button function or red cap signal. Instead, a vibrating unit is set at the bottom of the device to provide different vibrating patterns according to the prevailing states of the pedestrian signal. In collaboration with the audible unit mounted close to the signal, the device provides guidance for visually impaired people wanting to cross the road. The tactile unit can help them confirm that the correct audible traffic signal is heard and this is particularly useful at junctions with a number of pedestrian crossings close together.

     At present, there are about 3,500 push-buttons/tactile units and 7,500 tactile units in Hong Kong.

Ends/Saturday, December 30, 2006
Issued at HKT 10:01