Pedestrians will be made to walk faster on crossings under a plan favouring motorists that Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has proposed.

Digital signs that count down the seconds until cars get a green light would be introduced at 6,000 sets of lights. Those on foot will lose up to six seconds of crossing time during each phase.

The signs are part of the mayor’s plan to give more green time to traffic at the expense of pedestrians. He hopes that pedestrians will either speed up as they see the countdown approaching zero or, if they are slow walkers, wait at the kerb for the next green man phase.

Mr Johnson hopes that the extra green time will smooth the flow of traffic and help to cope with the increase in cars expected next year when he halves the size of the congestion charge zone.

People used to having a certain time to cross at their local lights may suddenly find themselves halfway across the road as the traffic starts to move. The number of green man phases each hour will also fall. Road safety groups fear this will lead to more jaywalking and more collisions.

Mr Johnson has asked the Department for Transport for permission to install the country’s first pedestrian countdown signs. Other authorities are interested in the technology, used in many cities abroad, including Copenhagen, Los Angeles and Singapore. In Taipei and Istanbul, the green man walks faster shortly before the lights change, encouraging pedestrians to mimic him and increase their pace.

Transport for London (TfL) has already altered signal timings at 150 junctions and plans to adjust 1,000 sets of lights each year for the next six years. TfL documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the time when lights are on red for traffic in all directions at a junction could be cut by up to six seconds. This time is used by pedestrians to cross the road.

Mr Johnson has voiced frustration at having to wait at red lights in a car. He told the London Assembly last October: “I was driving around Ealing one Sunday and I found the traffic lights absolutely insane. Insane. There was hardly any pedestrian traffic to speak of and we were being kept at red for minute after minute. The thing was totally crackers.”

A TfL spokesman said: “The mayor wants to reduce pedestrian crossing time where there is capacity to do so. It may be possible to provide additional green-time for vehicles by introducing pedestrian countdown.”

Living Streets, which campaigns for pedestrians, said that those crossing the road needed more time at many junctions, not less. More than 500 London junctions fail to give pedestrians the minimum time set by DfT safety guidelines.

Tony Armstrong, the head of the charity, said: “This move raises safety concerns. Fear of traffic, and the amount of time it can take to cross some roads in London, are real barriers to people walking more short journeys — in particular the elderly and those with disabilities.”

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