Traffic signals confuse Arlington Heights pedestrians, says panel

Crossing the street in Arlington Heights can be confusing and dangerous for everyone from senior citizens to mothers with strollers and teens, says the village’s Senior Citizens Commission. The village board agreed Monday and will try to help.

The commission wants the signs by the buttons that pedestrians push to cross a street changed to match the icons or words on the signals themselves, and they want to make an educational video to let people know they have enough time to cross the street after the signal starts flashing.

Check out the crossing lights at Arlington Heights Road and Sigwalt Street, right by village hall, said Sharon Adams, chairwoman of the commission. The sign by the button that a pedestrian pushes does not match the icons on the signals themselves, she said.

The sign shows a person walking, and it says “Start crossing; watch for turning cars.” Then it shows a hand and says not to start if there is a flashing hand and finish crossing if you have started. And finally it shows another hand and says a steady hand means pedestrians should not be in the crosswalk.

However, the signal says “Walk,” then flashes “Don’t Walk” and finally has a steady “Don’t Walk.” “You should see the panicked look that comes over their faces, and they start to run when the thing starts flashing,” Adams said.

Running, confusion and turning around and going back to where the pedestrian started are all dangerous, she said.

Adams said no residents she asked knew how long signals give them to cross streets.

Trustee John Scaletta said the time for crossing is 14 to 21 seconds depending on how many lanes are in the street.

The board agreed that the senior commission can make an educational video for showing on cable television and the village’s website and for distributing to places like schools. A pamphlet would be a good idea, too, Village President Arlene Mulder said.

Village staff will talk with the Illinois Department of Transportation to try to get signs on traffic lights to match the icons.