New contactless pedestrian button control technology will be trialled across the City of Adelaide to promote safety and hygiene for pedestrians, making the community safer during the pandemic and beyond.
The City of Adelaide is the first council in South Australia to trial iTouch – a new contactless pedestrian push button control.
Supplied by Australian company Aldridge Traffic Systems, the units are being trialled at the pedestrian actuated signals on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide.
The trial follows all City of Adelaide pedestrian crossings being automated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of these crossings since returning to normal operation at council’s request.
More than 60 pedestrian crossings in the heart of the CBD are still automated, however these are primarily only between the hours of 7:00am to 7:00pm.
Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor, said this smart technology aligns with one of council’s strategic outcomes to ensure the city is safe and well-connected for all people and all transport modes.
“This is a great initiative as it helps keep pedestrians safe while still delivering a positive result for those who cycle, ride a motorbike or drive a car through our streets,” Ms Verschoor said.
“Councillors received mixed feedback when every city crossing was automated. Many loved the change, while some residents were frustrated by the signal noise at night, others told us they were frustrated with being stopped unnecessarily at night and early in the morning.
“While we appreciated the benefits of full automation, with this on-demand solution you get a win for everyone in terms of safety and hygiene for pedestrians, along with reduced stops and traffic congestion for cyclists and motorists.
“Just like the City of Adelaide’s UPark Plus initiative, people really appreciate the availability of contactless and convenient technology at a time like this, so I’m glad we’re conducting this trial.”
Should the trial be successful, Councillors will have the opportunity to consider installing more of the contactless products throughout the city and North Adelaide in the future.
Aldridge Traffic Systems also produces a product called iTouch+ which is a pedestrian time-extender allowing seniors and disability cardholders to tap their card onto a sensor to extend crossing time. Council is looking into the feasibility of these products.
