Changes recommended for crosswalks in Halifax

[Keith P.]

I have read this story 3 times and still cannot understand what it is saying:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/pedestrian-crosswalk-button-changes-halifax-1.5883743

Pushing a button to cross at a crosswalk in Halifax could soon be less common, if recommendations from the city's transportation standing committee move forward.

The majority of pedestrian intersections would automatically display the walk light. Cars would have to stop regardless of whether there's a person waiting to cross.

"It's very good news for pedestrians," said Ahsan Habib, a transportation professor at Dalhousie University, adding it might be frustrating for drivers.
...
Right now, accessible pedestrian signals — audible signals like beeping — are activated only after someone holds down the crosswalk button for three seconds.

After engaging with people from the blind and visually impaired community, staff heard that the need to hold the button for three seconds was often a barrier to people who use a cane, guide dog, or have mobility issues.

Now, the audible signal could be heard with a single press of the button.

"This is probably the best decision [the city] ever made for tackling accessibility issues ... This will take us a long way to make our road space safer for mobility-restricted people," Habib said.

I don't get how the automatic activation would work. There was also a version of the story that said that drivers would need to stop at crosswalks even if there was nobody crossing, but that seems to have been edited out now. I suppose its all just another salvo in HRM's war on motorists.