Comments on: Barnes Dance, RIP

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:17:43 +0000

I can't see for the life of me why this has to go away for light rail to be installed. Over here in NL, we've an increasingly large number of similar crossings for cyclists, and they're very popular and successful.

By: Michael Banovsky

Michael Banovsky — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:08:37 +0000

It’s still in effect here in Toronto, though we call ‘em “Scramble Crossings” here. (http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/scramble_crossing_at_yonge_and_bloor/)

Fun to use, actually, if you don’t consider the term “scramble” to mean an impending car/pedestrian collision. M!

By: Mike Chalkley

Mike Chalkley — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:05:56 +0000

I still, after all these years, find it incredible that pedestrian activity can be classed as illegal (I live in the UK BTW). Traffic laws have only come about because of motor traffic. There can be no ethical basis for criminalising the victims of RTAs. It’s placing responsibility for not being hit onto the pedestrian and taking it away from the driver.
We are car-dependant in the UK but nowhere near as much as you guys. I do fear for the future of US transport.

By: Bossi

Bossi — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:38:43 +0000

er… by “when signals were manually controlled” I refer to the time *before* signals

By: Bossi

Bossi — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:38:12 +0000

Quick correction- the Barnes Dance actually dates well before Henry Barnes’ time in NYC, Baltimore, and even Denver. When he first implemented it in Denver, he’d noted that he had seen it in use in a number of other areas. It’s likely that the configuration dates back to the earliest days of the signal; and even back to when signals were manually controlled.