Approximately how long does it take to cross an intersection where the cross street is 4 lanes?

To accurately assess how long it would take to cross an intersection that is four lanes wide, one must consider the average walking or driving speed and the width of the lanes. Typically, in urban environments, a lane is approximately 3.5 to 4 meters wide. Therefore, crossing four lanes would involve traversing a distance of about 14 to 16 meters.

If an individual or vehicle moves at a reasonable speed (for walking, usually about 1.2 to 1.5 meters per second), it would take roughly 8 seconds to cross this distance. This aligns well with practical experiences and guidelines regarding pedestrian movement through intersections.

While longer times, such as 10 or 20 seconds, could factor in waiting times or delays in crossing, the specific question only considers the actual time taken to traverse the lanes. The option of 6 seconds might also be plausible for a very fast-paced individual or vehicle; however, across various standard guidelines, 8 seconds is commonly cited as a reasonable estimate for this scenario and thus is understood to be the correct duration.