Spokane only started installing them a few years ago, and now a new study from the University of Toronto says pedestrian countdown timers might increase crashes!
The study showed that at at various intersections throughout Toronto over a four-year period, countdown signals resulted in a five-percent increase in crashes versus intersections without the special signals.
There is some good news though; the crashes were between cars, not cars and pedestrians for the most part, and at the most dangerous intersections the signals actually reduced crashes.