 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(October 2023) |
A pedestrian crossing flag (PCF) also known by their brand name, See Me Flags, are flags that are used by pedestrians to increase visibility and alert drivers of their presence while they cross the street.
The first pedestrian crossing flags were used around 2000 at pedestrian crossings in Salt Lake City. [1] [2] The flags are meant to be used by crossing pedestrians to alert drivers of their presence while crossing to avoid being hit by a car. The program started by promoting 100 crosswalks. [3] Texas Tech University reported that the flags made cars yield 74% of the time at four sites. [4]
The flags started being used by other cities in the United States. Cities such as Kirkland, Washington, McCall, Idaho, Berkeley, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Cupertino, California [5] and Seattle, Washington had sponsorships for pedestrian crossing flags at crosswalks. [2] [6] Seattle ended the program in 2008 after not much usage by pedestrians. [3]
Bloomberg News described the use of pedestrian crossing flags as "demeaning", and make pedestrians feel embarrassed for needing to carry a flag for walking. [7]
A statistic from Berkely says that only 2% of pedestrians used the crossing flags. [2] Multiple collisions still occurred after the flags were installed into cities; the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut investigated eleven crashes involving thirteen people walking, with one case resulting in death. The flags also tend to be stolen. [8] [9] The flags are moved by which direction pedestrians walk by, which can cause the flags to end on one side with none on the other. [10]
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads/sidewalks) for travel and transportation.
A zebra crossing or a marked crosswalk is a pedestrian crossing marked with white stripes. Normally, pedestrians are afforded precedence over vehicular traffic, although the significance of the markings may vary by jurisdiction. They are known as "zebra" crossings as the stripes resemble the coat of a zebra.
A pedestrian crossing is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road signs and road traffic.
Jaywalking is the act of pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway if that act contravenes traffic regulations. The term originated in the United States as a derivation of the phrase jay-drivers, people who drove horse-drawn carriages and automobiles on the wrong side of the road, before taking its current meaning. Jaywalking was coined as the automobile arrived in the street in the context of the conflict between pedestrian and automobiles, more specifically the nascent automobile industry.
A pedestrian scramble is a type of traffic signal movement that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time.
Turn on red is a principle of law permitting vehicles at a traffic light showing a red signal to turn into the direction of traffic nearer to them when the way is clear, without having to wait for a green signal.
In traffic engineering, there are regional and national variations in traffic light operation. This may be in the standard traffic light sequence or by the use of special signals.
Tactile paving is a system of textured ground surface indicators found at roadsides, by and on stairs, and on railway station platforms, to assist pedestrians who are vision impaired.
A HAWK beacon is a traffic control device used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely. It is officially known as a pedestrian hybrid beacon. The purpose of a HAWK beacon is to allow protected pedestrian crossings, stopping vehicular traffic only as needed. The HAWK beacon is a type of traffic control alternative to traffic control signals and/or where an intersection does not meet traffic signal warrants.
An embedded flashing-light system or an in-pavement flashing-light system is a type of device that is used at existing or new pedestrian crosswalks to warn drivers of oncoming pedestrian traffic. The device usually consists of LED lights that are embedded into the roadway alongside the crosswalk and are oriented to face oncoming traffic. When a pedestrian approaches the crosswalk, the system is activated and the LED lights begin to flash simultaneously. These lights are programmed to flash for a period of time that is sufficient for an average pedestrian to cross.
Road traffic control devices are markers, signs and signal devices used to inform, guide and control traffic, including pedestrians, motor vehicle drivers and bicyclists. These devices are usually placed adjacent, over or along the highways, roads, traffic facilities and other public areas that require traffic control.
Drunk walking describes people intoxicated by alcohol walking in public spaces. While there are long-standing social stigmas and laws against drunk driving, only more recently have the personal and social dangers of drunk walking become apparent. One study on pedestrians struck by vehicles found that alcohol users were twice as likely to cross against the signal or outside of a crosswalk than sober pedestrians. Alcohol use was also associated with more severe injuries and longer hospital stays.
A rainbow crossing or rainbow crosswalk is a pedestrian crossing that has the art of the rainbow flag installed to celebrate the LGBT community.
Road signs in Canada may conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCDC) by the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) for use by Canadian jurisdictions. Although it serves a similar role to the MUTCD from the US Federal Highway Administration, it has been independently developed and has a number of key differences with its American counterpart, most notably the inclusion of bilingual (English/French) signage for jurisdictions such as New Brunswick with significant anglophone and francophone population, and a heavier reliance on symbols rather than text legends.
A guerrilla crosswalk is a pedestrian crossing that has been modified or created without jurisdictional approval, and with the intent of improving pedestrian and other non-automobile safety. These interventions are a common strategy within tactical urbanism, a type of low-cost, often temporary change to the built environment intended to improve local livability. Guerilla crosswalks have been noted in news articles since at least 2009 and have become more well known as an urban strategy in recent years. The first known example of guerilla crosswalks can be found in Canada in 1987 when social activists John Valeriote and Erik Veldman created a crosswalk in Guelph, Ontario for students to safely cross a busy road in front of their school.
Lightguard Systems is a California traffic safety device company known for developing “Smart Crosswalk”, the earliest pedestrian safety system to use embedded pavement flashing-light systems.
A stroad is a type of street–road hybrid. Common in the United States and Canada, stroads are wide arterials that often provide access to strip malls, drive-throughs, and other automobile-oriented businesses. Stroads have been criticized by urban planners for their safety issues and inefficiencies. While streets serve as a destination and provide access to shops and residences at safe traffic speeds, and roads serve as a high-speed connection that can efficiently move traffic at high speed and volume, stroads are often expensive, inefficient, and dangerous.
A series of rainbow crossings have been painted in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. According to The Seattle Times, the colorful pedestrian crossings "signal inclusiveness all year-round". Since the rainbow crossings were installed in 2015, more artistic crossings have appeared throughout the city.
In Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington, pedestrian crossings are managed by several government agencies, including the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Since privately funded rainbow crossings were installed on Capitol Hill in 2015, SDOT has sanctioned the installation of more than 40 artistic crosswalks. Works include "rainbow stripes and geometric designs created by local artists", according to The New York Times. SDOT's Community Crosswalks program considers community proposals. Seattle has also seen residents create guerilla crosswalks.
Crosswalks in the United States and Canada are normally found at intersections, though sometimes may be found mid-block. Crosswalk installations must follow the regulations specified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). At signalized intersections, crosswalks may have pedestrian signals which display symbols to mandate when pedestrians may cross the street.