Dutch town takes extreme measures to protect pedestrians

An ingenious idea but a poor reflection on human nature.

Let's be honest... we all do it! When we're walking along our heads are usually stuck in our phones, it's sometimes the only chance we have to respond to emails and those pesky ignored texts. Unfortunately, not only do we run the risk of bumping into other pedestrians, the chance of walking straight into traffic is heightened. Well, a Dutch town has launched a pilot scheme attempting to combat this modern day issue. The town of Bodegraven has installed LED strip lights on the ground of one intersection which change from green to red synchronising with the regular pedestrian lights. Speaking to Quartz Media, local councillor Kees Oskam said pedestrians tend to forsake road safety for their social media, games or communication on their mobile devices, "As a government, we probably cannot easily reverse this trend," he said, adding that the authorities wanted to pre-empt any accidents. The idea is not being met with all round support, Dutch Traffic Safety Association VVN has criticised the idea saying it rewards bad behaviour. VVN employee Jose de Jong said: "We don't want people to use phones when they're dealing with traffic, even when walking around." If the trial is successful, it hopes to spread the concept to other towns and cities.