Part V of the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 1997, SI 181 of 1997, contains the regulatory provisions relating to the provision of pedestrian crossings and the associated signals. Ministerial directions and general guidance to local authorities regarding the provision and use of regulatory and non-regulatory traffic signs are set out in the comprehensive Traffic Signs Manual that was published in 1996. Guidance and advice about pedestrian signals are laid down in paragraph 7 of chapter 9 of the manual, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. Local authorities are advised that the pedestrian phase of the signals "is best activated by demand from push buttons but can be activated automatically if the circumstances justify it (for example, to prevent phases getting out of step with adjacent signals on linked signal systems)".
Precise standards are not prescribed in either the road traffic regulations or in the manual regarding the time interval that should apply prior to the activation of the pedestrian cycle. The decision regarding the activation of the operative cycle for any particular set of traffic lights is a matter for the relevant local authority in the context of its policy for the management of all road users at the location. In this regard, a set of Traffic Management Guidelines that were jointly published by my Department in May 2003 sets out further guidance and advice to local authorities about pedestrian crossings. A copy of this publication is available in the Oireachtas Library.
The guidelines, at chapter 10.7, advise that delays to pedestrians should be minimised and that overall cycle times be kept as short as possible. The guidelines expressly recognise the reality that pedestrians are sensitive to the time they have to wait at the kerbside and that if the waiting time is too long pedestrians will cross the road without waiting for a green signal. The guidelines also state: "In the climate of encouraging walking as part of sustainable transport, justification for pedestrian facilities should be considered more in terms of the needs of pedestrians (in particular the delays and difficulties experienced in crossing a road) than in always maximising traffic flows."
Guidance has been provided for local authorities on the provision of pedestrian signals generally but, ultimately, decisions on their provision, their proximity to bus stops, traffic management controls and the control of pedestrians and traffic at any particular location are matters for determination by the relevant local authority.
