Pedestrian countdown system unveiled by Siemens

A new traffic solution that provides pedestrian countdown at traffic signals (PCaTS) has been unveiled by Siemens at Traffex. 


Pedestrian countdown at traffic signals informs pedestrians how long they have to cross the road after the far-side green man signal has gone out. By providing a visible countdown of the time remaining before the appearance of the red man, PCaTS is intended to give pedestrians a better understanding of the time available to complete crossing, reducing anxiety once the green man is no longer displayed. Because PCaTS shows exactly how much time is left to cross, pedestrians are less likely to panic or stop in the middle of the road.

Head of product management Keith Manston said: “The visual appearance is enhanced by the use of a flat lens which is ‘black masked’ to minimise sun phantom reflections. The unit may also be fitted with a small hood to further enhance the sun phantom performance if required.”

Once installed, the Siemens PCaTS unit does not require any configuration as it automatically detects the blackout period after two learning cycles of the signals. Timing synchronisation with the blackout period is achieved by the use of direct connections to the red and green signal feeds via totally isolated input circuits, which are designed to ensure they have no impact on controller lamp or safety monitoring. These inputs are also used to sense the dim/bright state of the signals and the PCaTS unit will automatically dim when the associated pedestrian signals dim.