Below is a blog from our guest writer, Jessica Berry from SLOCOG. SLOCOG stands for San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, and Rideshare is a division of SLOCOG. Thanks Jessica for letting us post your thoughts!
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I feel like I hear this one all the time and you might too. Guess what? It's not true that more people get killed in marked crosswalks that unmarked ones. (This is from the new Caltrans Draft intersection guidebook).
Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks
In 1972, a landmark study conducted by Herms in San Diego found that approximately three times more pedestrian collisions occurred at marked crosswalks versus unmarked crosswalks. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether marked crosswalks improve pedestrian safety or not.
A more recent and comprehensive study on the same issue was published by the FHWA in 2005. The study compares the number of vehicle pedestrian crashes at matched pairs of marked and unmarked crosswalks at the same intersection. Several key points from the study are important to the design of crosswalks:
1. Volumes of pedestrian crossings were three to four times higher at marked crosswalks than at equivalent unmarked crosswalks.
2. When adjusted for pedestrian volumes, there were no statistically significant differences in number of pedestrian-vehicle crashes at marked and unmarked crosswalks on the following types of roadways:
3. Conversely, providing a marked crosswalk with no additional treatment (e.g. medians, flashing beacons, curb extensions, signage) at the following types of roadways was shown to increase the rate of pedestrian-vehicle crashes:
a. Roadways with speed limits of 40 mph or greater;
b. Roadways with four or more lanes, no raised median, and an ADT of greater than 12,000; and
c. Roadways with four or more lanes, with a raised median, and an ADT greater than 15,000.
Source: Zeeger et al. Safety Effects of Marked vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations. Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 2001. (FHWA-RD-01-075). The complete study and a table of recommended treatments by location type can be accessed from http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=54.