Auckland pedestrians begin 'Barnes Dance'

Auckland became the first city in New Zealand to introduce the ‘Barnes Dance’ street-crossing system, which stopped all traffic at intersections, allowing pedestrians to cross in any direction at the same time.

Named after an American traffic engineer, Henry A. Barnes, the system was first used in North American cities in the 1940s. Barnes did not claim to have invented the system but became a strong advocate for it after seeing how difficult it was for his daughter to cross the road to get to school. As traffic commissioner in Denver, Baltimore, and then New York, Barnes promoted the use of the concept in the CBDs of these cities. Despite many dire predictions, local newspapers were soon admitting that it worked well. The name was coined when an American reporter wrote that ‘Barnes has made the people so happy they’re dancing in the streets’.

In Auckland the Barnes Dance became a feature of pedestrian traffic in Queen St. Other New Zealand cities soon followed Auckland’s lead and introduced the system. But as more vehicles clogged city streets the Barnes Dance came under attack, with traffic engineers seeing cars as more important than pedestrians. Increased numbers of commuter cyclists also have the potential to complicate traffic flows. However, Barnes Dance crossings survive in central Auckland, downtown Wellington and elsewhere.

Image: pedestrians crossing in Baltimore, 1968 - detail (see full image at Torontoist)