Crossings at side-road junctions
Safer and more convenient crossings at side road junctions
There is a need for crossings at side-roads that are safer, more convenient as well as being pleasant and comfortable to use. These could be a form of zebra crossing or an extension of the raised pavement across the road
The need for change
People frequently need to cross a side-road at its junction with a main road in order to continue walking along a straight line, or desire line.
Yet current highway engineering practice puts formal zebra crossings some distance from a road junction. At a junction, where a safe crossing place would be convenient there is usually an informal crossing with a dropped kerb to help wheel-chair users and tactile surface to warn visually impaired people of possible danger.
Some informal crossings are also have a different road colour or texture. However, across the country, these vary in design and maintenance to the extent that drivers are not given a clear message that there is a crossing place ahead where they should give way to pedestrians.
The informal crossings are therefore confusing for drivers and only helpful for nimble and aware pedestrians, providing also that traffic flows are low.
How it can be done
Trial designs of safer and more convenient side-road crossings have already been constructed by the City of Westminster. There are two alternative forms of a simplified zebra crossing, one at road level and one raised to pavement level. A third alternative extends the raised pavement across the road. The results of the trials are very encouraging.
From a road safety perspective all three alternatives perform remarkably well. In almost every case the proportion of drivers that stopped for pedestrians waiting to cross increased from 30% to 80% which is almost the 90% normally achieved at formal zebra crossings. Though less easily measured, the stress experienced by pedestrians as they cross, appears to have been lessened. The decision as to which of the three alternative designs to select was influenced by local circumstances, urban design considerations and costs.
Immediate action
Based on these positive results, it seems sensible to help and encourage other highway authorities across the country to carry out their own trials.
The reason for carrying out the trials now is that advice in the Highway Code has been changed. A new rule H2 states that at road junctions, drivers should give way to pedestrians. In practice there is very little difference between rule H2 of the Highway Code and those that apply to controlled zebra crossings. In both, drivers should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross. The difference is regarding pedestrians who are already crossing. At a road junction, under rule H2, drivers should give way. At a controlled zebra crossing, drivers must give way.
Instructions to pedestrians crossing at junction and at controlled zebra crossings are the same: they should wait until traffic has stopped before they cross.
