[yakubin]

Another instance of pedestrian congestion that’s really jarring to me are serial pedestrian crossings on roads with opposing traffic lanes separated by pavement, often on intersections. It may look like this: <https://maps.app.goo.gl/ErBFC2oXV21oQ9U7A>. For some reason, the traffic lights are programmed in such a way that most of the time you need to be almost running (I’d say something like 8-10 km/h) to ever have a chance of crossing both crossings in one go, even when you start walking at the beginning of the green light. Instead you’re almost always (the durations change throughout the day) guaranteed to stop before the second light and have fun breathing in the fumes from a high-traffic road. I can’t think of it as anything but hostile to pedestrians.

[rootusrootus]

> https://maps.app.goo.gl/ErBFC2oXV21oQ9U7A

That seems fair, though? That's a pretty long crossing if you include the sidewalk in the grassy area as part of one continuous crossing. If it were a median, I'd agree with you, but that's almost a small park. Just plain grass, it could use some shrubs & trees, but still.

[stefan_]

There is nothing there? It connects to nothing? There is no reason to be there and no pedestrian wants to be there. It exists purely to facilitate this absurdly overbuilt intersection (and bizarrely, a bunch of parking spots).

[rootusrootus]

It looks like they created a sort-of-roundabout-ish traffic pattern with the intersection, which is why it is so large. I assume it is a fairly busy location?

The parking spots were probably just opportunistic use of the extra space. They seem have been removed, if you look on street view. The satellite view is from 2019 or before, but some of the street views are 2020 and 2021 and show that they've removed the parking and added road capacity.