Thomas Jones and Patrick Tomcheck published an eye opening study in the September, 2000 ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers) Journal. Their study of crosswalks in Los Angeles found there
was a 61% reduction in pedestrian crashes at uncontrolled intersections when the crosswalks were
removed. Question – So crosswalks don’t protect us? Answer – They don’t physically stop a car from running into you.
The North Central Section of ITE is working on a set of guidelines about installing crosswalks. They lay out how an engineer should study each situation. The guidelines also give basic criteria for when and when not to install a marked crosswalk.
On a similar note, Chicago did a thorough testing of using yellow-green crosswalk markings in 2006. They found no statistical improvement in crash rates or lowering vehicles speeds. No magic bullets yet!
