Crosswalks in Chapel Hill are now automatic. | Town of Chapel Hill Facebook
Crosswalks in Chapel Hill are now automatic. | Town of Chapel Hill Facebook
Chapel Hill government officials automated the pedestrian crosswalk signs out of a concern for public health amid the highly-contagious COVID-19.
In a late-March Facebook post, Chapel Hill officials said it will update the crossings so pedestrians will no longer need to push a button. The post noted that some locations in the town already had the fully-automated system and this was creating a uniform standard based on public request.
"To reduce the spread of COVID-19, Town staff are working to change pedestrian signals so they work automatically without using the push button," according to the post.
One commenter supported the change, calling it "great news."
"I hope this change sticks," posted Trubey Parker posted. "So many people are confused when the pedestrian signal doesn’t change with the light. They get frustrated and walk at terrible times."
The changes were made to approximately 30 locations and completed within a day, according to the post. The updated crossings remind pedestrians in big, capital letters "DON'T PUSH THE BUTTON."
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