Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
I must say that the "zebra" style crosswalks are much more visible than the old two thin horizontal lines. Are these the new standard city-wide, or just around schools and playgrounds? Initially it seemed that they were being used selectively, but now they seem to be the new norm.
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Yes, absolutely. We are looking at 3 aspects - the material, the application method/design of the marking and locations to apply ladder or 'zebra' crossings.
The thing you want in a crosswalk is visibility from the perspective of the motorist - and the transverse or horizontal lines across the roadway do not provide very good visibility to the motorist - longitudinal (zebra) lines are much more visible at a distance.
Currently, yes the policy says use zebras at schools and other places like high speed exit ramps as well as anywhere there is overhead flashing lights. However, we're wanting to explore cost-benefit of (durable material) zebra stripes in other high volume and high priority pedestrian areas - such as all of downtown/beltline - urban corridors like Centre Street, activity centres like in and around the university, etc.
The pilot will use a standardized zebra design - a "60/60", which is a 60cm wide marking, with 60cm gaps between lines. Currently, they're just kind of eyeballed and spaced to try and avoid wheel path if possible (but rarely actually happens).