The suburban grid

[hurricaneMan1992]

Probably the best thing for pedestrians in that Orlando situation, which is already built-up around the intersection, is to have all traffic stop (no right turn) when pedestrians push the walk button (presumably left turns are already only for when the walk signal is red). It is really the only way to give pedestrians a fair chance to cross without worrying about the right turning traffic, and if pedestrian crossings are indeed rare (as I suspect they are), the effect on traffic flow would seem to be minimal. Most drivers--in particular Florida drivers--are not looking for pedestrians when trying to turn right on red, they're looking for gaps in the cross traffic. "No right turn on red when pedestrians in crosswalk" would seem to mean ANYWHERE in the crosswalk, but it is probably the least enforced traffic law on the books...

[impala096]

I've never come across the "NO TURN ON RED WHEN PEDESTRIANS IN CROSSWALK" sign. Is that a common sign in Florida? I wanted to comment on your points and the easiest way was to sparse them up...

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

Probably the best thing for pedestrians in that Orlando situation, which is already built-up around the intersection, is to have all traffic stop (no right turn) when pedestrians push the walk button...

A "NO TURN ON RED" disappearing case sign could come up when an opposing pedestrian actuation occurs. In the Orlando example, a pedestrian who pushes the push button to cross the 180 foot crossing would bring up the "NO TURN ON RED" sign for 62 seconds (assuming FDOT is adhering to the current MUTCD standards). A pedestrian might jog across the intersection in 20 seconds, leaving the crosswalk clear of pedestrians for 42 seconds, yet the "NO TURN ON RED" sign would still be displayed for the full time.

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

(presumably left turns are already only for when the walk signal is red).

Yes. The protected left-turns phases in the Orlando example would prevent any walks from coming up during the left-turn phase.

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

It is really the only way to give pedestrians a fair chance to cross without worrying about the right turning traffic

It may give pedestrians a false sense of security. Drivers need to pay more attention to pedestrians and adhere to the traffic laws, that's for sure, but many pedestrians need to be more aware of their surroundings as well. I've witnessed a lot of strange pedestrian behavior that makes you ask "WTF"?!

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

if pedestrian crossings are indeed rare (as I suspect they are), the effect on traffic flow would seem to be minimal.

You could still run into problems even if the actual pedestrian volumes are low. Pedestrian push buttons are a regular maintenance issue for agencies and it's not uncommon to have a broken push button at an intersection. There was an article from the New York Times that talked about how many push buttons in the city were no longer functioning. The article stated that 'more than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that still exist function essentially as mechanical placebos'. When a pushbutton is broke, the walk is going to come up every cycle and you better hope your government agency is reliable and fixes it in a timely manner (but for lot of people, reliable government is an oxymoron).

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

Most drivers--in particular Florida drivers--are not looking for pedestrians when trying to turn right on red, they're looking for gaps in the cross traffic.

The same issue occurs for drivers making a permissive left-turn as drivers look for gaps in opposing through traffic. Some agencies will set the signal up to change the phasing of the signal from permissive left-turn into a protected left-turn when an opposing pedestrian movement comes up. I think some left-turn signals in Bend, Oregon operate this way.