by Angie Schmitt, Streets Blog
\n“When St. Louis decided not to maintain colorful new crosswalks that residents had painted, the city\u2019s pedestrian coordinator cited federal guidance. A 2011 FHWA memo warns that colorful designs could \u201ccreate a false sense of security\u201d for pedestrians and motorists.”
\n“That may sound like unremarkable bureaucrat-speak, but the phrase \u201cfalse sense of security\u201d is actually a cornerstone of American engineering guidance on pedestrian safety.”
\n…
\n“In 1972, a researcher named Bruce Herms conducted a study of crosswalk safety in San Diego. He found that intersections with marked crosswalks had higher injury rates than ones with unmarked crosswalks. He concluded that marked crosswalks should only be installed where they are \u201cwarranted\u201d because they can give pedestrians a \u201cfalse sense of security,\u201d encouraging risky behavior.”
\nhttps:\/\/usa.streetsblog.org\/2016\/02\/12\/traffic-engineers-still-rely-on-a-flawed-1970s-study-to-refuse-crosswalks\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Angie Schmitt, Streets Blog “When St. Louis decided not to maintain colorful new crosswalks that residents had painted, the city\u2019s pedestrian coordinator cited federal guidance. A 2011 FHWA memo warns that colorful designs could \u201ccreate a false sense of security\u201d for pedestrians and motorists.” “That may sound like unremarkable bureaucrat-speak, but the phrase \u201cfalse … <\/p>\n