New red light: an experiment in 7 cities

Several French cities will be the subject of experimentation with a new traffic light. This test will be carried out in order to set up the “pedestrian clearance time on the pedestrian light”, as explained in a decree published this Friday, April 28 in the Official Journal. Like the function of the orange light for cars, this new light will signal to pedestrians that the red light is to pass.

As specified in the decree identified by BFMTV, “the objective of the tested device is to improve the safety of pedestrians approaching a roadway, by improving motorists’ understanding of clearance time and pedestrians’ respect for red” . This yellow light will be tested in two situations: when the yellow light is fixed and in another where the yellow light will flash.

In view of its primary function, the yellow light will prevent the pedestrian from entering. However, it will allow pedestrians on the crossing to complete their crossing in complete safety. The red light does not change function, since it will always prohibit crossing the road, as Le Parisien explains.

Already put into service, the countdown light had been installed in some cities in France and in particular in Loire-Atlantique. It had been the subject of an experiment in Vannes (Morbihan), Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine) and Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

A study published in 2020 by Cerema (Centre for studies and expertise on risks, the environment, mobility and development), demonstrates the “lack of information given to pedestrians”. “The absence of an indication of the time remaining to finish crossing generates dangerous behavior”, as this study indicates.

In 2022, 484 pedestrians died in France, which constitutes 15% of road fatalities in France. Unfortunately, these numbers have not gone down in recent years.

Find out in our slideshow below which cities are included in the experimentation of this new traffic light.