Seriously, if you can't cross the roads without being attached to your phone there's really something wrong with you.....
The trial in Sydney will cost $380,000, and is part of a number of measures by the NSW government's Towards Zero campaign aimed at reducing road deaths.
They might not be nearly as bright as Melbourne's but the latest measure in Sydney to save people glued to their mobile phones from themselves is keeping the city in step with the times.
After a surge in pedestrian deaths last year, the switch has been flicked on the first in-ground lights to be installed in the central city at the intersections of Pitt and Goulburn streets, and Hay and Dixon streets.
Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller has been named as the next top cop of NSW, replacing outgoing Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
Vision courtesy ABC News 24
The long strips of lights on either side of Hay Street near the inner west light rail line and Paddy's Market in Chinatown are larger than those at the intersection of Pitt and Goulburn streets.
The lights at both intersections are part of a
trial announced by the state government last year to stop mobile-phone zombies from ignoring red signals and walking into oncoming traffic.
The in-ground lights only turn red to signal pedestrians to stop. They are switched off when the light on the nearby poles flashes green to signal for people to cross.
Kylie Gentle, an investigator who says her pet hate is people glued to their mobile phones while walking, said the footpath lights were a good way to improve pedestrian safety.
"I don't know whether it will stop them from crossing against the red light but it is an additional reminder," she said. "They are certainly very noticeable."
Last year, 74 pedestrians were killed on NSW roads, 13 more than in 2015. About 1100 pedestrians are injured each year on the state's roads.
The new lights at the intersection of Hay and Dixon streets in Chinatown. Photo: Steven Siewert
Mortgage broker Ricky Xu agreed the lights were a welcome addition.
"We don't have have to look at the green light [on the post]. Most people are checking their emails [at the intersection] waiting for the lights," he said.
Construction worker Spencer Tinson said the lights were more noticeable at night.
"I noticed them the other morning because it was dark. I was trying to work out whether they they were for us or cars the other day," he said.
He believes they will be effective in preventing pedestrians from walking into oncoming traffic.
The lights in Sydney are not as bold as those recently built into
footpaths at one of Melbourne's busiest intersections, which flash red and green to pedestrians.
German cities such as Cologne and Frankfurt have also installed lights in footpaths, especially near crossings of light rail lines. A similar system has been introduced in the Dutch town of Bodegraven.
The trial in Sydney will cost $380,000, and is part of a number of measures by the NSW government's Towards Zero campaign aimed at reducing road deaths.
A spokesman for NSW's Roads and Maritime Services said the other initiatives included giving greater priority to pedestrians to prevent "green-on-green" crashes, where both drivers and pedestrians get a green light at the same time.
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