Walk/Don't Walk Lights

"There's not enough time to cross the street before the walk light changes!"

This complaint is received many times from people who frequently walk in heavy traffic signalized areas.

The City of Appleton currently uses two different pedestrian signal face types. The older style is the familiar white "WALK" and red "DON'T WALK" written words. The newer style is the international symbol type with a white light picturing a "person walking" and a red "hand" designating stop.  Although these two styles differ in looks, their operation and meaning are the same.  Most people know that when the white "WALK" signal face is lit, you may start crossing the street.  After a pre-set time, the walk light will go out and the "DON'T WALK" signal face will start to flash.  This means "finish crossing the street if you are in the crosswalk.  The time that this light is flashing is calculated to be adequate to finish crossing the street.  Do not start crossing the street if the light is flashing.  When the calculated clearance flashing "DON'T WALK" time is completed the "DON'T WALK" face will stop flashing and remain lighted.  During this time no pedestrian should be in the crosswalk.

The second most common pedestrian complaint is "the WALK light never came on".  At low pedestrian volume intersections where a lightly traveled street crosses a major thoroughfare, the walk signal may be "pedestrian actuated".  This means that there is a button mounted on the signal nearest the crosswalk that must be pushed to "activate" the walk light, which will then work as explained above.  When pedestrians are crossing a street all traffic on that street must be stopped, so a pedestrian button is one way to keep traffic moving on major traffic carriers.  At these intersections there is normally a sign stating "PUSH BUTTON TO CROSS (NAME) STREET".