Some pedestrians tend to cross the road when it suits them ( time & convenience) rather than looking at safety implications. At this particular crossing the waiting time is excessive- the longer one has to wait the more likelihood of people crossing against the signal. I have observed this and happens frequently where people just walk casually into the road.

I have been driving for a car for over thirty years & in my opinion pedestrian behaviour to risk on roads has changed as a result of various campaigns & road design : reclaiming London's streets for pedestrians; roads being shut so that children can play ball games; streets shut for parties; raised road crossing; getting rid of barriers; promotion of walking etc. These measures have created a false sense of security for pedestrians.

Roads are for cars & they can be lethal weapons if both parties ( motorists & pedestrians) do not observe the rules. The onus is on the motorist to obey the rules of the road & for pedestrians to do as they please. Pedestrians in the UK are more likely to ignore traffic signs and signals than those in Europe - in UK there is no legal requirement to obey pedestrian signals, in other European countries there is legislation, giving the UK a poor safety record in terms of pedestrian collisions.

Maybe what we need are safety campaigns directed towards pedestrians ?
Remember the Green Cross Code in the 1970's ?