Traffic Light Button Covers
Object No. 2021/91/1
These traffic light button covers show how Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) responded to a feature in the built environment that posed a risk to the community during the COVID-19 Pandemic. TfNSW sought to rapidly respond to the high risk of community transmission posed by crossings, by altering the Sydney CBD’s built environment. Initially, core flute covers were installed to discourage people from touching pedestrian buttons, as an automatic timer had been set. Due to these being ripped off the engineers at Transport for NSW proposed an alternate solution of solid covers that could be screwed into existing screw holes. The successful design was rolled out across the CBD in April, 2020. In 2019 a novel new corona virus infected humans in China, rapidly transmitting throughout the globe to become a pandemic. The virus’s successful transmission was due to a high number of a-symptomatic carriers, a long incubation period and its ability to survive for extended periods on surfaces outside the human body. High touch surfaces, such as pedestrian buttons, became areas of high risk for community transmission. These covers are one of a number of solutions implemented by Transport for NSW to improve community safety across their services. Other solutions included public messaging about mask wearing and the use of signage within transportation to indicate safe social distancing.
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Summary
Object Statement
Traffic light button covers (3), plastic, made by Transport for NSW, used by Transport for NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2020
Physical Description
3 Solid plastic covers in dark blue. It has a curved design that can slot over the bottom half of the pedestrian traffic light buttons. It is designed to prevent people from touching the buttons surface as a safety measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Messaging on the button is designed to let pedestrians know not to touch surfaces as crossing have been automated. In the centre of the button is a graphic of a crossed out hand pushing a button to support text visually. It utilises the "do-not-do" graphic of a red circle with diagonal line through it.
DIMENSIONS
Width
113 mm
Depth
18 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
It is designed to cover only the bottom half of the pedestrian crossing button and contains messaging discouraging pedestrians from touching the surfaces. It was developed as a solution to these buttons posing a high-risk surface for community transmission in Sydney’s CBD. The first design, comprising of a semi-circle with side flaps, was made from corflute and was wrapped around the sides of pedestrian buttons and attached with double sided tape. Due to the flimsy nature of corflute and combined with pedestrians feeling a need to press the buttons, despite an auto setting being implemented, these were easily ripped and often seen hanging half off the side of the buttons. The engineering team at Transport for NSW proposed an alternate design made from hard plastic that could be screwed onto existing holes and attachments in the button's casing. This new design covers the lower half where the button is located, leaving the arrow and ‘audio-tactile’ part of the crossing button uncovered. With clear messaging embossed on the plastic surface these simple items are seeking to preserve the world leading design of these traffic signals whilst adapting their use within the built environment to help minimise the spread of corona virus through the community.
HISTORY
Notes
In the early 1980s Sydney consultants Nielsen Design Associates were asked to redesign the pedestrian traffic button. The new unit was made from cast aluminium with vandal-proof fixings. The large magnetic button (tested to withstand millions of pushes) is easy to find and push. A Braille arrow on the vibrating plate indicates the direction to cross. The ATPD pedestrian button leads the international standards for acoustic and tactile signals for traffic lights. The audio-tactile pedestrian detector has given pedestrians with vision, hearing and physical impairments greater confidence and freedom to move about independently.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Transport for NSW, 2021
Acquisition Date
14 October 2021
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