The traditional black and white stripes have been receiving a makeover By Tom Seymour
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Pedestrian crossings in the UK are being re-imagined as part of new initiatives to improve safety and boost active travel.
The humble black and white striped zebra crossing has been around since 1934 and has since been joined by signal-controlled crossings such as the pelican, puffin and toucan to help pedestrians and cyclists safely navigate the road network.
London Living Streets, the capital’s arm of the national charity for everyday walking, believes signalled crossings have been developed with vehicles in mind for too long and wants to see pedestrians given equal importance. Rather than act as a barrier to walking, “crossings should help people move around their locality without fear and excessive delay”.
Transport professionals are adopting new technologies and techniques to do just that.
Portsmouth City Council has installed LED panels in the road surface at a zebra crossing on the junction of Clarendon Road and Palmerston Road last November, to make it more visible to drivers and encourage more people to use it at night. The council’s roads contractor, Colas, is working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to monitor how the new LED zebra crossing performs and should it make a positive difference, lights could be added to more crossings across Portsmouth.
Back in 2019, Westminster City Council introduced a 3D painted zebra crossing at St John’s Wood High Street to further improve visibility. The 3D effect creates an optical illusion that makes the striped crossing appear to be floating just above the road. The council looked at new ways to improve visibility when residents and teachers voiced concerns about road safety. This 3D effect scheme was the first to be introduced in the UK, and was inspired by a trial in New Delhi, India that showed a 40% drop in average speeds from 30mph to 20mph. The small town of Ísafjörður in Iceland has also opted for a floating crossing.
Eye-catching design is another trend, but with a twist, as local authorities in Liverpool and Hull, will benefit from the hard data. These colourful ‘nudge’ crossings, aimed at making pedestrians pay greater attention, have been established at collision hotspots in Liverpool and Hull last November, with artificial intelligence-powered video analytics monitoring the usage of the multi-coloured crossings created by So-Mo, a behavioural science company. AI analytics on CCTV footage will also look at whether there is an increase in the number of pedestrians using the crossings correctly.
The trials are being funded by the Road Safety Trust.
In 2021, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned artists to engage in colourful street collaborations in 2021 with London-based Yinka Ilori describing the project as bringing “light and joy against the usual greys of London’s pavements and roads”.
The 11 pedestrian crossings on Tottenham Court Road and six pedestrian crossings in the City of London, as well as Queen Street pedestrian plaza, were inspired by the Asphalt Art movement, reimagining pedestrian crossings with distinctive designs in bright colours. It was seen as a means of attracting Londoners and visitors back to the creative, retail and hospitality spaces that had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The Asphalt Art movement was pioneered in the UK on London’s Southwark Street as part of ‘Better Bankside’ in 2015.
The Asphalt Art movement has just presented research into crash data on asphalt art locations at 17 diverse study sites with the findings signalling a 50% reduction in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians or other vulnerable road users.
The Mayor of London pressed pause on his London-based Asphalt Art project in November 2021 following an open letter from eight disability organisations in September highlighting concerns about the lack of consultation. Transport for London (TfL) is now developing new guidance on the use of artwork at crossings in London, and committing to meaningful engagement with disability organisations as part of this process.
Photo credit: Portsmouth City Council
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