New from FHWA - Crosswalk Marking Selection Guidebook, to help localities make decisions on where the use of high-visibility designs can have a safety impact. Incorporates new(ish) research on yielding rates for hi-viz crosswalks on two-lane uncontrolled crossings.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/resources/crosswalk_marking_selection_guide.pdf
@haraldkliems we somewhat specialize in burying ledes
@bikepedantic @haraldkliems The real conclusion of these charts to me is "You can either have speeds >30 mph OR you can have pedestrian crossings that are not signal controlled." Meanwhile, here we get RRFBs on 4-lane 35 mph roads outside of middle schools and it feels like a very conscious statement that our kids are not valuable.
@HayiWena @haraldkliems there's definitely some milquetoasty weasel-wording in there about how once you hit that speed threshold, you need to start bringing in the heavier stuff if you want actual yielding to happen
@bikepedantic @haraldkliems HPA is a heck of a gatekeeper, so I appreciate the effort to put it in there. I mean, you're not the MUTCD, which is where it really needs to be stated in blinking lights.
@bikepedantic @HayiWena @haraldkliems how much do we spend on rapid flash beacons when we could have actual infrastructure like these two cozy bollards?
@haraldkliems @bikepedantic Making me feel lucky (for once) to be in NSW, as all unsignalised crosswalks are 'high visibility' by this definition, and we don't even try to use unsignalised crosswalks over 50km/hr (30mph).
I see videos of American drivers blowing through unsignalised crosswalks on 4 lane roads with a 70km+ speed limit, and like.... what do the road designers really expect to happen?
@bikepedantic this is awesome. Reading through now. I'm not currently seeing guidelines for marking both/all legs on crosswalks, is that in here? My general rule is: mark all the things on locals to collectors, caution applied for arterials especially multilane at uncontrolled locations. Determine appropriate context and supplemental treatments (rrfb/HAWK).
@femmeUTCD We didn't really tackle stuff that we didn't experiment on, just tried to capture what places are doing. other existing guidance takes on stuff like RRFB/HAWK supplements.
@bikepedantic got it. I do love that 2018 guidance. Very helpful.
@bikepedantic Very useful. Even though the report is somewhat burying the lede: "The key question of this guide can be reframed as, 'Why not mark HVCs everywhere?' Indeed, this guide recommends using HVC markings everywhere an agency has determined to mark a crosswalk. "