Around about where I live, they have been replacing "proper" pedestrian crossing lights with the silly little stealth ones you can see above.
I am sure those who designed the crossings and the height of these lights had some pretty good reasons for putting them where they are, but they might not have had the pedestrian in mind …
Firstly they are in an unnatural position forcing you to look away from the direction of travel. It is normal to look in the direction of travel, and when I do, I can miss the lights turning green.
Secondly, and far more irritatingly, becuase these lights are just at beer belly height, it is all too common for people to stand in front of them blocking the view of the lights. So even if you are looking in the right direction, you can miss the lights turning green.
So what is so bad about the old kind of pedestrian crossing lights?