Crosswalk Conundrum: Why, Where, and How? Seleta Reynolds Fehr & Peers

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Ghandi “Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf.” Lewis Mumford

Why? Crosswalk Function  Creating reasonable expectations where pedestrians may cross a roadway  Channelization of pedestrians to designated crossing locations

Channelization

Advantages  They help pedestrians find their way across complex intersections  They designate the shortest path  They direct pedestrians to locations of best sight distance

Advantages

Disadvantages  They may create a “false sense of security” for pedestrians.  They may cause a greater number of rear- end collisions.  They may cause an increase in the number of fatal or serious-injury crashes.

Where? Review of Previous Studies Pedestrian crosswalk study (1970) - City of San Diego California Marking Policy at Intersections on California State Highways (1996) - ITE Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations (2000) - FHWA

Safety Effects of Marked Vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations (2000) - FHWA Data  1,000 marked and 1,000 unmarked crosswalks  No school crossings  229 pedestrian crashes included  Crash history (5 years), pedestrian volumes, traffic volumes, number of lanes, speed limit

Safety Effects of Marked Vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations (2000) - FHWA

Exceptions  Locations with high traffic volumes may be candidates for marked crosswalks if they also have extraordinarily high pedestrian volumes  No location with poor sight distance is a good candidate for marking a crosswalk

Exceptions Be Careful Consider Marked Crosswalk

Uncontrolled and Midblock Locations  Step One: Assessing Demand  Purpose: Choosing the best location for the crosswalk and measuring need  Data Needed: Adjacent land uses, pedestrian volumes, sight distance

Equivalent Adult Units Number Factor EAUs Children ___________x 2.0= _________ Seniors ___________x 1.5= _________ Disabled ___________x 2.0= _________ Adults ___________x 1.0= _________ Source: Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual, Transportation Association of Canada 13

Pedestrian Desire Lines

Uncontrolled and Midblock Locations  Step Two: Assessing Safety  Purpose: Choosing the treatment for the crosswalk  Data Needed: Number of travel lanes, average daily traffic, posted speed

Step-by-Step

How? Level One Devices  Pedestrian Refuge Islands  Split Pedestrian Crossover  Curb Extensions

How? Level Two Devices  Overhead Signs and Flashing Beacons  Raised Crosswalks  In-pavement Flashers

How? Level Three Devices  Pedestrian-actuated signals: Hawk, Toucan, Pelican Flashing yellow and then solid yellow when a pedestrian pushes the button Signal is dark until activated Signal is goes solid red and pedestrian has a walk signal

How? Level Four  Pedestrian bridges and overcrossings Photo by Dave Campbell

Step-by-Step

Uncontrolled Crossing Example