February 18

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Crosswalk Guidelines

By Mike Spack

February 18, 2008

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 thereCrosswalk 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!

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Mike Spack

My mission is to help traffic engineers, transportation planners, and other transportation professionals improve our world.

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