Three-dimensional crosswalks may come to your neighborhood — but they aren’t a futuristic technological advancement. they’re an optical illusion that could save your life.
Here’s how it works: an artist will take the typical zebra-striped crosswalks you see everywhere, then paint shadows around them. It’s a simple process with a stunning result: To the drivers approaching, it’ll appear as though the blocks are suspended above the asphalt. And the people crossing, they’ll also seem to float.
But 3D crosswalks are more than just a jaw-dropping visual effect: The cities behind them hope they might be eye-catching enough to save your life.
Pedestrian deaths are rising at an alarming rate. The Governors Highway Safety Association estimates 6,227 pedestrian deaths in 2018 as compared to 4,414 in 2008 in the United States — a 35 percent increase. This number is contrasted by a six percent decline in all other traffic deaths. The study cited unsafe infrastructure, speeding and alcohol use as big contributors along with smartphone use.
“I’ve been in this business for 36 years, and I’ve never seen a pattern like this,” Richard Retting, who wrote the report and has worked in a variety of traffic engineering and safety roles, told The New York Times.
The 3D crosswalk’s purpose is to grab the driver’s attention and, as a result, he or she will navigate the intersection carefully.
While the 3D design has been implemented and experimented, there isn’t definitive proof yet that it works. But cities are doing everything they can to reduce pedestrian deaths. And it’s an inexpensive tactic that doesn’t require much additional work for city planners.
This approach to crosswalk safety gained worldwide popularity on social media when the city of Ísafjörður, Iceland, installed 3D crosswalks in 2017.
Ralf Trylla, Ísafjörður’s environmental officer, saw similar crosswalks in India and decided to try it in his city.
“I was looking for other possibilities and different solutions to slow down traffic other than the regular speed bumps,” he told Quartz.
Speed bumps are often criticized for their impact on cars and car owners. And when a study published by the UK National Institute for Health suggested speed bumps contribute to increased air pollution, Trylla decided to give 3D crosswalks a shot.
He said he watched drivers slow down and be more cautious through the intersection. “So in that way, I would say that it’s a success so far.”
Since then, these crosswalks have been painted in China, London, Canada and across the U.S, in Oklahoma, Illinois and, now, Massachusetts.
The city of Medford, near Boston, recently adopted the idea. The first one in the Boston area is painted near Brooks Elementary School, with more crosswalks planned for each elementary school in the city.
Two Brooks students had the idea for the crosswalk near their school. They worked with a teacher and the Brooks Center for Citizen and Social Responsibility to pressure the city into painting the crosswalks.
“When you’re walking across you can tell it’s painted, but what we hope is, when you’re driving down, you’ll see it as 3-D, three dimensional. So it looks real,” Isa, one of the students, told WBZ.
3D crosswalks are not the first public-arts approach to creating safer pedestrian pathways. In Warsaw, Poland, piano keys were painted to replace traditional crossings, and in Seattle, Washington, the crosswalks transformed into rainbows to celebrate LGBTQ pride. Baltimore, Maryland, tried a hopscotch technique to slow local traffic down.
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Tag: pedestrian safety
Name the Most Pedestrian-Friendly City in America
Pedestrian life is picking up speed across the country, with an estimated five percent more Americans walking to work now compared to 2000, Bloomberg reports. But with more than 4,700 pedestrian deaths in 2012, city planners are recognizing the importance of improving pathways and policies to protect citizens on their feet.
In a study of the safest cities for pedestrians by insurer Liberty Mutual Holding Co., Seattle topped the list. The Pacific Northwest city had fewer than 10 annual pedestrian deaths in 2012 and was noted for its investment in infrastructure to improve the walking safety of more than 108,000 commuters each day. That same year, the city ordered more than 500 crosswalks and also improved walking routes for students.
Boston and Washington, D.C. came in second and third, respectively. San Francisco notched fourth and New York City grabbed the fifth spot on the list of of 25 cities analyzed for pedestrians. The most dangerous for walkers? Detroit. The report ranks cities by traffic data, infrastructure and local attitude on public safety among 2,500 residents across the observed cities.
Dave Melton, Liberty Mutual’s managing director of global safety, attributes well-planned pedestrian safety to countdown lights and flashers at crosswalks that help drivers focus on the road and direct attention from pedestrians. But pesky cellphone usage still remains an issue.
“The human brain doesn’t multitask,” Melton says. “It switches back and forth.”
It’s tricky to try to control phone distraction, but ensuring every other component of protecting pedestrians is a step in the right direction.
Can a New Kind of Sidewalk Save Lives?
In San Francisco, up to 50% of all traffic fatalities are pedestrians, nearly four times the national average. In fact, three pedestrians are hit each day, accounting to a yearly average of 20 deaths. With statistics like these, it’s obvious that something has to change. So why not the streets?
An architecture firm from the Bay Area has come up with an idea that will not only help make pedestrians more visible to drivers, but also turn street corners and medians into useable public space. The design, which was dreamt up as part of a project by pedestrian advocacy group Walk San Francisco, creates “bulb-outs” — curb extensions that make sidewalks bulge into the street, increasingly the visibility of pedestrians who are waiting on the corner. These extensions have high ridges that not only protect pedestrians from drivers, but can also be turned into planters for community gardens.
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“We didn’t want a strict dichotomy between street and sidewalk,” says Zoe Prillinger of Ogrydziak Prillinger Architects, the firm that created the plan. “We’re interested in ambiguity, the idea of sharing and negotiation — between park and city, street and sidewalk, and cars and pedestrians.”
The firm’s design is part of a larger project called WalkFirst, a collaboration between San Francisco agencies — including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Planning Department, the Public Health Department, and the City Controller’s Office — that will prioritize capital improvements over the next five years to make the city a safer place to walk. The hope is that projects like this one will decrease pedestrian injuries and fatalities by 50% over the next seven years.
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