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'Don't push button': Confronting message on sign at pedestrian crossing

Ash Cant
·2-min read

Pedestrians in Sydney’s CBD are being urged not to push buttons at pedestrian crossings to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

NSW Minister for Transport & Roads Andrew Constance tweeted out a picture of a sign stuck to a post with a pedestrian crossing button.

“Don’t push the button,” Mr Constance tweeted on Monday.

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“Automated pedestrian crossings will be progressively rolled out from [Monday] in the Sydney CBD.”

His tweet was accompanied by the hashtag ‘COVID19au’.

The sign, which alerts people to ‘service changes’, says the pedestrian crossing is now automated.

In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Transport for NSW spokesperson said it was the department’s top priority to ensure the safety of the public during the coronavirus outbreak.

“From today, automated pedestrian crossings at traffic signals within the Sydney CBD will be active 24 hours a day,” the spokesperson said.

“This means pedestrians will not have to push the button at signalised crossings to safely cross the road in the CBD.”

In Sydney’s CBD, automated pedestrian crossings were operational, but generally only from 7am to 7pm.

Despite this new measure, which prevents multiple people a day touching a button to allow them to safely cross the road, the spokesperson still encourages to public to practice advice issued by health departments.

Pedestrians won't need to touch buttons at pedestrian crossings, as Sydney CBD rolls out automated crossings 24/7. Source: AAP
Pedestrians won't need to touch buttons at pedestrian crossings, as Sydney CBD rolls out automated crossings 24/7. Source: AAP

“People should continue to wash their hands regularly, sneeze into their elbows or clean tissues that are then discarded and always practice social distancing.”

The changes come as NSW Health confirmed 669 cases of the coronavirus in the state on Monday, while the federal government has announced restrictions to stop the spread.

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