Shabbat Pedestrian Crossing

A Shabbat pedestrian crossing is a pedestrian crossing whose traffic lights are set to cycle automatically on the Sabbath so that Orthodox Jews can cross a road without pressing the electric button that normally activates the signal, an action that Jewish law treats as forbidden operation of electrical machinery on Shabbat. Instead of requiring a button press, the lights turn red for traffic on a timed cycle during the relevant hours, giving pedestrians a chance to cross without anyone having to operate the switch. The approach was first proposed for a crossing at Henlys Corner on the North Circular Road in Finchley, north London, after a local synagogue asked Transport for London whether such a system could be installed, and a similar automatic cycling arrangement already existed at a crossing in Highland Park, New Jersey, where the same lights are operated by push buttons on ordinary weekdays.