NYMTC Regional Pedestrian Safety Study - New York Metropolitan ...

5.2.5 Visibility
To insure safety, the pedestrian needs to be able to see approaching traffic and the motorist and
bicyclists need to be able to see pedestrians and to be aware of crosswalks.
Lighting: The lighting conditions on pedestrian pathways and at pedestrian crossings are a
factor in the overall safety of pedestrians. Improved lighting at crosswalks and along sidewalks
and pedestrian pathways provides the following benefits: drivers become more alert of the
presence of pedestrians and pedestrian crosswalks; pedestrians become aware where they are
supposed to cross; security against theft, muggings, and other crimes increases; and pedestrians
feel safer. Almost 50 percent of pedestrian crashes occur at night. The Swiss report a 60 percent
drop in nighttime crashes when previously dark areas were illuminated. (NYMTC workshop,
2006).
Visible Crosswalks: Making drivers more aware of crosswalks alerts them to the possible
presence of pedestrians. The first step is being sure that crosswalks are located where sight
distance is adequate, that is, they are not too close to horizontal or vertical curves. A number of
other measures that can improve the visibility of crosswalks follow.
Marked Crosswalks: Marking a crosswalk increases its visibility to the driver. Using a high
visibility pattern is useful at controlled intersections and along roadways with low speeds (40
mph or lower). Figure 5.18 below shows the typical patterns used to mark crosswalks. (It
should be noted that different pedestrian safety sources do not use the names of the patterns
consistently; this document will refer to the patterns as shown in Figure 5.18.) The standard
pattern of two six inch parallel lines is
not highly visible to a driver. It is
recommended that a municipality
choose one of the patterns with thick
bars (continental, zebra, or ladder) as
a standard for use at controlled
intersections, particularly intersections
used by vulnerable pedestrians (e.g.,
along school routes).
Inlay tape, which is highly reflective
and slip resistant, has been found to be Figure 5.18 Crosswalk Marking Patterns
more effective and less expensive in the
long run than paint for new and resurfaced pavement. Thermoplastic may be preferred for old or
rough pavement. (Zegeer, Stutts, et al., 2004)
Marking crosswalks is not recommended for uncontrolled crossings on high speed or wide
(four lanes or more) roadways. Marked crosswalks by themselves on multilane roadways with
volumes above 12,000 vehicles per day have been correlated with higher pedestrian crash rates
than unmarked sidewalks, presumably because the pedestrians have a false sense of security with
the markings (Campbell et al., 2004).
NYMTC Pedestrian Safety Study 81