Talk of the town：Auxiliary devices and diagonal crossings
【明報專訊】Pedestrian crossings in Hong Kong are an essential part of the city's transportation infrastructure. They are designed to prioritize the safety and convenience of pedestrians. In recent years, the city has implemented several measures to further enhance pedestrian safety.
Auxiliary devices
Since 2022, the Transport Department has been conducting a trial scheme. New auxiliary devices are being installed at pedestrian crossings. When the traffic light turns red, these devices project red light onto the pedestrian path to remind people who are looking at their phones not to cross the road. The first four devices have been set up in Wan Chai, Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Kowloon Tong.
Diagonal Crossings
The Transport Department has recently decided to implement a trial allowing pedestrians to diagonally cross the road at certain intersections in Hong Kong. The first trial location is at the junction of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin, starting from January 31.
The Secretary for Transport and Logistic, Lam Sai-hung, mentioned the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan, which has become a landmark, and envisioned Hong Kong having its own diagonal pedestrian crossings. It is believed that allowing diagonal crossings will reduce pedestrian crossing time and be appealing to Hong Kong residents who are always living against the clock.◆
Why is it more convenient to cross diagonally (using the blue path) instead of following a traditional crossing route (using the red path)? We can explain this using mathematics!
In the photo, we can observe that the three lines form a triangle. According to triangle inequality, the length of any side of a triangle is always shorter than the sum of the lengths of the other two sides. This implies that crossing the road diagonally is always faster!
However, as reminded by the Lam Sai-hung, apart from the designated trial areas, it is currently illegal to cross the road diagonally outside of marked pedestrian crossings in Hong Kong. Pedestrians are advised to follow traffic signals and abide by traffic regulations when crossing the road.
(See the picture B)
■Grammar booster
Against the clock
If you do something against the clock, you do it as fast as possible and try to finish it before a certain time.
E.g. The team was working against the clock to finish the project on time.
■Gear up
Crossing the road diagonally is legal at the junction of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin during the trial period. (True/ False)
(Answer on next text)
■Glossary
auxiliary (adj) 輔助的
infrastructure (n) 基礎建設
trial (n) 試驗
appealing (adj) 有吸引力的
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[Smarties' Power English 第403期]
