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Post by awesomeaasim on Jul 6, 2023 17:04:15 GMT -8
Having become aware of stuff like raised crosswalks and even techniques like multistage crossings and tiled crosswalk patterns, I am actually curious about which US cities are installing them, why they aren't being installed more often despite their proven safety benefits, and how cities might go about in the redesigns to slow down motor vehicle traffic. I speculate that any big changes probably will happen not as a retrofit but when the street or road needs to be rebuilt at the end of its lifecycle. What are your thoughts on it?
My guess is that a HAWK beacon is cheaper than properly rebuilding the road to make it safe for pedestrians, but I want to know what you think!
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Post by Road Guy Rob on Aug 3, 2023 0:38:00 GMT -8
Hi! Thanks for your patience. (I'd blame it on losing my log in — but honestly, I'm also just bad at replying. Trying to get better.) Yes, high-visibility crosswalk (the tiled ones you mention) really help me out as a driver to spot and respect a crosswalk. It gives a sense of permanence that the crosswalk is real and not an afterthought. I haven't seen any studies to indicate stop compliance at them, but I can't help but imagine they help significantly. Here's a cool one San Francisco has been playing with: default.sfplanning.org/Citywide/Dogpatch_CtrlWaterfront/CWD_PRP_CrosswalksBOARDS_022117.pdfWhen I spoke with the inventor of the HAWK beacon, he appreciated it for how inexpensive it is, which means you can improve more crosswalks on the same budget. Making changes to the concrete is more expensive, and like you say, will probably happen when there is a widening or rebuild of the road. That's the time for pedestrian advocates to hit hard and demand quality crossings. Once the concrete cures, it's very expensive to change it later. |
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Post by RinRin Blissgreen on Aug 3, 2023 21:39:25 GMT -8
I’m seeing them pop up more around Long Beach near the Long Beach side of Carson Park and the El Rancho Estates. Long Beach Public Works is currently repaving all the side streets down there along with fixing up all the sidewalks and putting in those new ADA compliant curbs. In Lakewood right next store where I am- not so much since LA County Public Works that maintains them (and even all the roads, signage and non SCE owned street lights for Lakewood once maintained by City Light and Power) is way too busy to get around to putting them in around the Lakewood side of Carson Park. The only curve that has them is off of Henrilee St. WITHIN Henrilee St.- one thing Carson Park developers back in 1954 decided to put in as a small culdesac along a weird stretch of land near Monte Verde Park that oddly was once THAH DUMP (EXCITING AND NEW!!! Except when you still see PESKY little gophers throwing up old glass bottles and broken plates from when it used to be one while distorting your yard at the same time!). Hopefully that’ll change one day soon as Lakewood is already thinking of making vast improvements throughout the city- with that being the traffic lights from the 1970s and 1980s that BADLY need to be replaced still!
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Post by awesomeaasim on Aug 13, 2023 14:25:36 GMT -8
Oh those images look pretty. Thanks for sharing RGR!
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