oxford st "x crossing" opens

[claphamboy]

Looks simple enough, you just cross in the direction you want to go in, how can that confuse anyone?

 

[skyscraper101]

Yeah its amazing, now you can walk diagonally from United Colors of Benetton to Nike Town.

 

[kyser_soze]

I am not sure that any traffic on Oxford street ever gets up to that speed anyway.

Not so much Oxford St, but the cars fair hare over the junction heading n/s on Regent St, especially after about 8pm when the traffic starts to thin out.

 

[Chz]

I can't say I've ever noticed one in my life. I probably use that sort of thing every day and don't realise that all the traffic has stopped for me!

There are quite a number about, but Balham High St. by the tube station is one example. They're rarely marked the way the Oxford St. one is, but if you way attention you'll notice that all the pedestrian lights are green and all the road lights are red.

 

[noodles]

There's been a bit more work than that, but I would ask - do you have expert knowledge of construction costs? Judging by your comment, I'd say 'probably not', especially since it wasn't just 'putting an x in the road'.

I think £5 million is a ridiculous amount. As I don't have expert knowledge of construction costs, can anyone with expert knowledge knowledge tell me whether this was a reasonable cost?

 

[Cloo]

I don't understand why it should have cost that much (probably consultancy fees or something ), but I do think it's a good idea. People act consitently like utter drongos at that junction, so anything to get them the hell out of the way faster is very welcome.

 

[Higbo]

I am not sure that any traffic on Oxford street ever gets up to that speed anyway.

Unfortunately two dead pedestrians in the last 3 weeks says it does.....

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

There are quite a number about, but Balham High St. by the tube station is one example. They're rarely marked the way the Oxford St. one is, but if you way attention you'll notice that all the pedestrian lights are green and all the road lights are red.

Oh yeah, come to think of it I know a few. Stupid not to mark them out because you could end up waiting two cycles when you only need one.

 

[T & P]

Yeah its amazing, now you can walk diagonally from United Colors of Benetton to Nike Town.

 

[dogmatique]

i don't understand the lack of support for this on here.

You know Urbanites, don't you? If they were given gold bars they'd complain how heavy they were...

 

[19sixtysix]

I unfortunately get my bus just north of oxford circus and the new junction has narrow roads south to north. I suspect this will cost me another 15 minutes on the way home by bus and if I get caught short Westminster took their opportunity to get rid of the oxford circus toilets with the junction rebuild. Can't say I'm that impressed.

 

[dogmatique]

Tell us when you've actually found out then.

Thank you!

 

[doddles]

You know Urbanites, don't you? If they were given gold bars they'd complain how heavy they were...

I think it's partly the 5million cost, and partly the "meh" in response to hyping something that's existed elsewhere since the 1940s.
So - a good thing, and about bloody time.

 

[ivebeenhigh]

was am ambulance there last night about 6 30. could have been for something unrelated.

people meeting in the middle on the diagonals seem not to realise they have to avoid the other diagonals.

 

[T & P]

I have to say that regardless of what they might have had to redesign (and frankly I can't imagine it being that much) £5m does seem like a fucking piss-take.

And from the video I'm inclined to think the design of the crossing as paths is directing everyone crossing to the very centre of the circus and creating the pedestrian congestion seen in the video clip. If they had simply painted parallel discreet lines suggesting a diagonal crossing I suspect people would have spread more evenly and managed to reach their other end without all meeting in the exact centre and getting stuck.

So yet another idea that has worked elsewhere for decades has been overworked, overdesigned, overpaid and fucked up.