Many drivers won’t stop unless they’re forced to by a physical barrier, and some still won’t stop. Ever seen those videos from Europe of bus lane bollards that retract when a bus approaches and pop back up again after the bus passes, and the cars wrecked on them? Those are much more solid barriers than these plastic things.

Those plastic things are just for show, as part of the campaign, which is why the drivers seem surprised that they’re there. They’re not actually installed on any roads. But having them pop up as the car approaches if there’s a pedestrian on the corner makes it obvious that the car needs to stop.