a design precedent in Hanoi
The push button crosswalk was invented to improve the efficiency of signalized crosswalks. Instead of changing the signal lights automatically even when there’s no one crossing, the signal light remains green unless someone pushes the “beg” button. The development helps with the traffic flow and reduces waiting time for pedestrians (Zhou 2013, p. 601).
Before coming to Hanoi, push button crosswalk has made its appearance in the developed countries, namely the US and the UK. In July 2005, Hanoi Department of Transportation started implementing push button crosswalks in various locations in Hanoi, starting with 8 spots in the center of Hanoi. According to Mr. Lam, vice president of Hanoi Urban Transport Management and Operation Centre, the selected spots were busy spots that were not at the intersection. The aim of this operation was to promote pedestrians’ safety and participation (Loan 2005).
The design of the Vietnamese version is quite simple. The button consists of two main parts: a grey button and an explanatory upwards arrow (Huong 2016). Comparing to the design of the crosswalks in the UK, it doesn’t seem to attract users and provide users with as much information. Sadly, because many don’t seem to work anymore, push button crosswalks are now ignored by many Hanoian.
REFERENCES
Zhou, Z 2013, Sixth international conference on nonlinear mechanics, Destech Publications, Inc., Shanghai, China.
Huong, T 2016, ‘Sự tồn tại của những chiếc nút bấm trên đường phố hà nội’, viewed on 24 June 2019, http://m.ongbachau.vn/xa-hoi/su-ton-tai-cua-nhung-chiec-nut-bam-tren-duong-pho-ha-noi-c920a20160113061930575.htm
Loan, Đ 2005, ‘Đèn ưu tiên cho người đi bộ: lợi bất cập hại’, viewed on 24 June 2019, https://vnexpress.net/thoi-su/den-uu-tien-cho-nguoi-di-bo-loi-bat-cap-hai-2038236.html
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