What changes are needed

CROSSINGS AT SIDE-ROAD JUNCTIONS

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 normally 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 a tactile surface to warn visually impaired people of possible danger.

Some informal crossings 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 clearly universally understood message that there is a crossing place ahead where they should give way to pedestrians.

The current informal crossings are therefore confusing for drivers and only helpful for nimble and aware pedestrians, providing also that traffic flows are modest.