Alternatives When Crossing is Too Risky

Environmental Modifications to Improve Crossings with No Traffic Control

The design of crossings with no traffic signal or stop sign can be altered to make them easier and safer by shortening the distance to cross, slowing down the traffic, and increasing the likelihood that drivers will yield.

A great resource showing suggestions for design improvements, based on research to increase the likelihood that drivers will yield to pedestrians at these crossings, is

Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings: Appendices B to O

Meanwhile, photos of some examples I've seen are shown below:

Horizontal deflection:

BULBOUTS, CIRCLES and REFUGE ISLANDS

Example 1 --

photo shows a street with two lanes going each way plus a middle turning lane. Nine vehicles are visible on the street and another is about to enter from a parking lot.

photo shows a mid-block crosswalk of a 5-lane street. The sidewalk on each side of the street extends one lane into the street (bulbouts). There is an island in the middle of the street, covering the width of one lane. The crosswalk from each side is only one lane wide from the bulbout to the refuge island, and it is well marked with 3 signs facing each direction, each with arrows pointing to the crosswalk and indicating pedestrians (one has a picture of a stop sign and says 'stop here for pedestrians').

Photo shows the crosswalk, which extends straight across the street from the bulbout to the refuge island (one lane), then turns slightly to the right to cross the refuge island, then continues straight across the next lane to end at the bulbout (sidewalk extension) on the other side of the street.

Photo shows a refuge island in the middle of the street, with a cut-through. The cut-through has detectable warnings at each end, and starts heading across the street, turns to the right and then turns back to head straight across the street again. The cut-through is perpendicular to the street for about 2 feet on each side of the island.

(courtesy of Janet Barlow)

Example 2 --

photo shows a residential street 3 lanes wide, a cirle with plants fills the middle lane, and just before the cirlce from each direction the curb and grass extend in the street (a 'bulbout') for about half a lane, so that approaching vehicles must swerve to the left to miss the bulbout and then must swerve to the right to get around the circle

(below left)

(below right)

photo shows the above street from a different angle, with a bus and car going one way around the circle and a car going around the circle the other way (this is a residential street 3 lanes wide, a cirle with plants fills the middle lane, and just before the cirlce from each direction the curb and grass extend in the street (a 'bulbout') for about half a lane, so that approaching vehicles must swerve to the left to miss the bulbout and then must swerve to the right to get around the circle

this is the same photo as the last, but the circle and bulbouts have been removed, so it is a 3-lane residential street with a bus and car going one direction, and a car going the other direction

Example 3 --

photo shows another example of a residential street 3 lanes wide, a cirle with plants fills the middle lane, and just before the cirlce from each direction the curb and grass extend in the street (a 'bulbout') for about half a lane, so that approaching vehicles must swerve to the left to miss the bulbout and then must swerve to the right to get around the circle

Example 4 --

photo shows an intersection 6 lanes wide -- one lane is for parking, and the middle lane is painted to designate a refuge island

an arial view of the same street shows that the intersection has been replaced with a roundabout and the crosswalk moved about a half block away. At the crosswalk, the middle lane has been replaced with a planter, the right side of the street has been narrowed to only one lane, and sidewalk on the left side of the street extends into the street and blocks the parking lane, making the crossing only one lane to the refuge island and another lane on the other side of the island.

(Above) La Jolla Boulevard in San Diego was 80 feet curb to curb before it was redesigned, the crosswalk is now 13 feet curb to curb.
Concept by Michael Wallwork, P.E., Alternate Street Design. P.A.

Example 5 --

these 3 photos all show an intersection with a crosswalk from various angles. The street is 5 lanes wide, including 2 parking lanes. The crosswalk on one side of the street crosses 2 lanes (one of which is the parking lane), then passes through a refuge island that fills the middle lane, crosses one more lane and then passes through a bulbout (an extension of the sidewalk into the street) which blocks the parking lane

these 3 photos all show an intersection with a crosswalk from various angles. The street is 5 lanes wide, including 2 parking lanes. The crosswalk on one side of the street crosses 2 lanes (one of which is the parking lane), then passes through a refuge island that fills the middle lane, crosses one more lane and then passes through a bulbout (an extension of the sidewalk into the street) which blocks the parking lane

these 3 photos all show an intersection with a crosswalk from various angles. The street is 5 lanes wide, including 2 parking lanes. The crosswalk on one side of the street crosses 2 lanes (one of which is the parking lane), then passes through a refuge island that fills the middle lane, crosses one more lane and then passes through a bulbout (an extension of the sidewalk into the street) which blocks the parking lane

ROUNDABOUTS:

photo shows an intersection with a crosswalk across a street with two wide lanes

(left)

photo shows a street to the right of a circular lane. The street has one narrow lane on each side of a refuge island that is about a half lane wide (the refuge island is triangular in shape, and widens to the left of the crosswalk and becomes more narrow to the right of the crosswalk

(left)

In these two photos, a crosswalk crosses two lanes from an island in the middle of the street to the sidewalk. About 20 feet to our right, our street enters a roundabout (lanes go around a large circle) with another street entering the roundabout from under a bridge. There is a very gentle curve such that drivers coming from under the bridge do not need to slow down much to make the turn into our street. The two photos show cars coming from under the bridge and from the other side of the circle, with one car going past our street to continue around the circle.

In these two photos, a crosswalk crosses two lanes from an island in the middle of the street to the sidewalk. About 20 feet to our right, our street enters a roundabout (lanes go around a large circle) with another street entering the roundabout from under a bridge. There is a very gentle curve such that drivers coming from under the bridge do not need to slow down much to make the turn into our street. The two photos show cars coming from under the bridge and from the other side of the circle, with one car going past our street to continue around the circle.

(right)

CIRCLES

photo shows an intersection on a residential street 4 lanes wide, including 2 parking lanes. The corners are very rounded. In the middle of the intersection is a circle that is wider than the street, so it extends into the side street, leaving only a narrow lane between the circle and the corners.

Vertical deflection:

SPEED HUMPS

photo shows a residential street with two wide lanes. The street slopes gently down to the right for about a half a block, then turns left and goes uphill -- we can see the street for about a half block beyond the bend at the bottom of the hill.

photo shows the same street but there is a white line across the street, barely visible about a block away (half a block from the bottom of the hill. That white line is actually a raised hump across the road.

Challenge Photo #5

photo shows close-up of the speed hump, which extends across the street. A car approaches it and starts to ride over the hump.

speed hump

(below)

NEXT
PREVIOUS