Pedestrian jaywalking under facilitating and nonfacilitating conditions.

Researchers watched three crosswalks in a city. They timed how long the walk signal stayed red.

When the wait was long, more people crossed against the light. When the wait was short, fewer people did.

The study showed that signal time alone can control pedestrian behavior.

Longer red lights made jaywalking go up. Shorter red lights made it go down.

The effect happened every time they tested it.

Myers et al. (2022) later asked what the pedestrian can do. They found that a simple hand gesture makes drivers stop more often. Together the two studies show both sides of the street: short waits keep walkers compliant, and clear signals make drivers yield.

Parsons et al. (1981) had already shown that long delays punish watching for a cue. The 1982 study moves that lab idea to real sidewalks. Long light waits work like the long delays in the lab: people stop waiting and act on their own.

Ainslie et al. (2003) bundled rat treats to stretch self-control. The crosswalk study bundles time the opposite way: it chops a long wait into a short one, and compliance rises. Both papers say the same thing—when you shrink the delay, you grow the good behavior.

You can’t change city lights during a community outing, but you can pick the right corner. Choose crosswalks with short signal cycles for practice walks. If you must use a long-cycle light, teach the client to wait behind the pole and give the big hand signal shown in Myers et al. (2022). These two moves—short waits plus clear cues—cut jaywalking before it starts.