crosswalk
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Honolulu is the first big US city to ban phone use at crosswalks
Cities have tried innumerable measures to keep pedestrians' eyes off their phones when they cross the street, and there have even been some state-level attempts at legislation to force a change in behavior. Honolulu, however, has officially drawn that line in the sand -- it's the first major US city to pass a law that fines you for crossing the street while using your phone. As of October 25th, the Hawaiian burg can ask you to pay between $15 to $99 if you're caught looking at a mobile device while you're strutting the crosswalk. How much you pay depends on whether or not you're a repeat offender. There is an exemption if you're calling emergency services, though, so don't feel guilty about dialing 911 while you rush to the scene of a crash.
Dutch town adds 'Lightlines' to alert distracted pedestrians
A city in the Netherlands is the latest to give distracted smartphone users an extra heads-up in the crosswalk. A pilot project in the city of Bodegraven called +Lightlines (or +Lichtlijn in Dutch) is the latest take on in-ground sidewalk crossing signals and it puts a bright, laser-like strip of green and red LEDs right where multi-tasking pedestrians can see them.
Australia puts traffic lights in the ground to alert phone addicts
The German city of Augsburg has already tried putting traffic lights in the ground to keep cellphone-obsessed pedestrians from walking on to train tracks, but the Australian state of New South Wales wants to take things one step further. It tells Mashable that it's going to install ground-based traffic lights at key crosswalks in Sydney (likely in its central business district) as part of a trial starting in December. The aim, unsurprisingly, is to prevent an unpleasant encounter with a car while you're busy texting your friends.
Fist-bumping a button is the best way to cross the street
Tired of having to tap (or, let's be honest, mash) a boring old button to cross the street? Los Angeles artist Alfredo Adán certainly is. He recently created Walkbump, a project that covers crosswalk buttons with casts of a fist -- as you'd guess by the name, you have to fist-bump the button to signal your intentions. It's a "simple" hack (even if the construction process isn't), but it does add a friendly flair to your trip across the road. You're not so much telling the traffic light to change as asking it nicely. While this isn't as clever as some crosswalks, such as one that plays Pong, it does bring some much-needed humanity to the urban landscape.
Pioneer's Cyber Navi units crowdsource traffic photos, watch for crosswalks (video)
Pioneer's nicer Cyber Navi GPS units already revolve heavily around cameras that dish out augmented reality. That clearly wasn't enough for the company, though, as its new tilt-screen AVIC-VH0009 and fixed-screen AVIC-ZH0009 models wring even more value out of that front sensor. Their new Smart Loop feature automatically snaps photos at traffic hotspots that it shares with fellow drivers, giving them a crowdsourced glimpse of any trouble that lies ahead. Other upgrades don't depend quite so much on collective wisdom, however. The AR Scouter Mode is now smart enough to spot upcoming crosswalks, and the voice search lets drivers freely speak keywords rather than follow a strict syntax. Pioneer isn't divulging pricing ahead of the Cyber Navis' June release, but their Japan-focused location services hint that we won't see either navigator reach the US anytime soon. We can at least live vicariously through the (very detailed) video after the break.
Virtual Wall concept protects pedestrians, livens up crosswalks
Let's face it -- pedestrians are already running amok in major city crosswalks; it's not like we really need to help them hold up the line of traffic any longer while their light is red, is it? All pent up aggression aside, Hanyoung Lee's brilliant Virtual Wall concept could certainly assist the non-hardened tourists cross from one side to another without fear of being flattened. Essentially, the light-formed barrier would keep cars and Earthlings separated while individuals are cleared to walk, and while we aren't sure if bumping into said obstacle would cause tire deflation, engine stall or any other totally tough consequences, we can't imagine it being too effective (or fun, in a devilish way) otherwise.
