Sometimes being safe requires being patient - that will soon be the case at the intersection of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road.

The pedestrian walk lights were reassessed earlier this year and an authorization to automatically put on the lights and make the “walk” light last two seconds longer was sent to the Lansing Board of Water and Light on Monday. Work will begin soon.

“People are just refusing to push the button (which turns on the “walk” light),” said Bob Maki, campus traffic engineer. “Anarchy is prevailing on this campus so we are catering to students and staff.”

The new program may cause pedestrians to wait longer while the other side of the street crosses and during vehicle traffic crossing times, but they will always come on during those times, the professor of civil engineering said.

During the 20-minute intervals between classes between the weekday hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., the duration of the pedestrian walk light, which Maki calls “the little white man,” will be increased by two seconds. The normal time period is seven seconds.

Nancy Bunge, a professor of American Thought and Language, said she wouldn’t mind waiting on the sidewalk to ensure her safety while crossing the street.

“I cross that intersection often and most of the time people are pretty smart about it,” she said. “But some people think it’s OK to cross when the other side has a red light, but it’s a left turn signal and it’s not safe.”

Two years ago, pedestrian lights were installed at the Farm Lane and Auditorium Road intersection, and proved themselves necessary.

Before their installation, it was shown, five injuries and ten property damages happened per year at the intersection, Maki said.

“After the signals were put in, there were only three reports of property damages and no reported pedestrian incidents,” he said.

Microbiology freshman Ben Haller said he doesn’t walk across the intersection very often.

“I don’t really care about waiting longer,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

But whether they care, Maki said the lights are being changed during those times as a means of protecting pedestrians from being injured.

“I put signs up there saying ‘push the button,’ but pedestrians just haven’t paid attention,” he said. “People need to obey the signal that’s meant for them and not second guess - they should follow instructions.”