Countdown traffic lights announced in Brussels

Crossing any major road on foot in Brussels can be risky at the best of times. But now to the relief of pedestrians in Europe’s capital, they will begin seeing the installation of countdown traffic lights along one of the city’s major thoroughfares.

Pedestrians will now know how many seconds they have to scurry across the road before traffic takes-off like an F-1 race when the lights turn green.

Fourteen countdown lights will be installed along Rue de la Loi/Westraat in Brussels' core, one of the capital’s busiest arteries.

The decision comes after a pilot project near North Station showed great success. Statistics show that the number of pedestrians observing red lights vastly increased from 66% to 86%.

City officials anticipate the lights to increase traffic safety.