Charlotte Foster
Travel Trouble

Is this the future of pedestrian crossings?

Pedestrian crossings in Melbourne have attracted global attention on TikTok, as Aussies are stunned by the new technology. 

A TikTok user in Victoria has shared footage of lights embedded into the footpath at crossings that change from red to green to reflect whether you can cross the road or not. 

The tech has been installed to help "phone zombies" from not getting in an accident in street traffic from staring down at a mobile device.

The TikTok user Veronica shared footage of the lights she came across saying, "Bro, look how sick Melbourne is."

"The light across the road is red, so the floor flashes red, and when it's green so you can walk - guess what? The floor flashes green!"

The 12 second clip has racked up thousands of likes, with hundreds of comments being shocked by the relatively new technology.

One person said, "I've been living in Melbourne my entire life and have seen none of these."

"I literally live in the city and didn't know this, what?" another commented. 

A third user pointed out the lights were installed to protect people who were distracted by their mobile phones when crossing the road.

"It's because people are looking at their phones while walking and are not alert while crossing."

Despite the technology being seemingly rare, the in-ground lights, also known as Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI), have been installed around the globe since 2017.

Places in Sydney and Melbourne have been adapting to the new tech, following in the likes of South Korea to increase safety around being aware on the road. 

Image credits: TikTok

Tags:
Travel trouble, pedestrian crossing, Melbourne, Traffic lights, road safety