Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System
A marked crosswalk with a warning sign and pedestrian refuge island. pedbikeimages.org - Carl Sundstrom
Marked crosswalks indicate optimal or preferred locations for pedestrians to cross and help designate right-of-way for motorists to yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians are sensitive to out-of-the-way travel, and reasonable accommodation should be made to make crossings both convenient and safe at locations with adequate visibility. Various crosswalk marking patterns are given in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD),8 including transverse lines, ladder, and continental markings. However, high-visibility crosswalks are preferred over parallel line crosswalks.
Marked crosswalks are desirable at some high pedestrian volume locations to guide pedestrians along a preferred walking path. Crosswalks are often installed at signalized intersections and other selected locations with appropriate levels of pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Crosswalks should be installed in conjunction with other enhancements that physically reinforce crosswalks and reduce vehicle speeds. Recommended guidelines and priorities for crosswalk installation at uncontrolled locations are given in in the Resources section. These guidelines are based on a major study of 1,000 marked crosswalks and 1,000 unmarked crossings in 30 U.S. cities.9
A marked crosswalk alone is typically not enough for multilane roadway crossings where annual average daily traffic is in excess of 10,000 vehicles. More substantial crossing improvements are also needed to prevent an increase in pedestrian crash potential. More substantial treatments include the refuge island, PHB, and RRFB.
The cost of high visibility crosswalk marking can range from $600-$5700 each with an average of $2540. Information about different types of marking patters can be found in the IT TENC Technical Committee 109-01 publication Pavement Marking Patterns Used at Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossings.10
