Nicole Raz
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL) — Pedestrians in Silver Spring are now getting more time to cross at traffic signals, and that means higher wait times at red lights for drivers…but it’s not that much time.

“We’ve done it in Bethesda, and I don’t know that anybody really noticed,” says Fred Lees, acting chief of of the Department of Transportation’s division of Traffic Engineering and Operations.

The change only translates into just a few seconds–under five seconds at most stoplights, Lees told WMAL.

Previous signals were set to allow pedestrians to cross at a pace of 4 feet per seconds.

“Going down to 3.5 feet per seconds is slightly slower and gives people more time to get across,” he said.

The changes to 34 traffic signals will meet new federal standards and promote pedestrian safety.

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