• Introduction to Safe Routes to School: the Health, Safety and Transportation Nexus
• Steps to Creating a Safe Routes to School Program
• Engineering
  • Guiding Principles for Applying Safe Routes to School Engineering Solutions
  • What's Wrong With This Picture?
  • School Route Maps and the Tools to Create Them
  • The School Zone
  • Along the School Route
  • Crossing the Street
  • Slowing Down Traffic
  • Resources
  • References
• Enforcement
• Encouragement
• Education
• Student Drop-off and Pick-up
• Evaluation
• Media and Visibility
• Case Studies

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Marked Crosswalks

A marked crosswalk can benefit pedestrians by directing them to cross at locations where appropriate traffic control, including traffic signals or adult school crossing guards, either currently exist or can be provided. However, marked pedestrian crosswalks, in and of themselves, do not slow traffic or reduce pedestrian crashes.

There are several reasons to install marked crosswalks, a few being:

• To indicate a preferred pedestrian crossing location.
• To alert drivers to an often-used pedestrian crossing.
• To indicate school walking routes.

Marked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Crossings

It is recommended that a marked crosswalk be installed at an uncontrolled crossing only when the crossing is on a school route on a two lane road or on a multi-lane road with average daily traffic less than 10,000 motor vehicles per day and where the speed limit is 40 mph or less.

In many cases, crosswalk enhancements including raised median islands, traffic and pedestrian signals, or street lighting may also be needed. More substantial improvements are typically needed on high-volume multilane roads.

Marked crosswalks guide pedestrians and alert drivers to a crossing location. It is important that both drivers and pedestrians clearly see the crossings. Crosswalks can be marked in paint or a longer lasting plastic or epoxy material embedded with reflective glass beads. Although more expensive, longer-lasting crosswalk marking materials are a better value over time as they require less maintenance. The minimum crosswalk width is six feet wide, but school-related crosswalks should be 10 to 15 feet wide or wider at crossings with high numbers of students. School-related crosswalks should be checked annually before the start of the school year. If necessary, fresh paint should be applied and other improvements made to keep the crosswalks in good condition.

Rating Uncontrolled Crossings for Marked Crosswalks

Marked crosswalks should not be overused or used everywhere. In an FHWA study, Zegeer and colleagues developed the following three possible ratings of crosswalks:[30]

• C: Candidate site for a marked crosswalk (marked crosswalk needs to be installed carefully and selectively).
• P: Probable candidate site for a marked crosswalk (possible increase in pedestrian crash risk may occur if crosswalks are added without other pedestrian facility enhancements).
• N: Marked crosswalks alone are insufficient (pedestrians' crash risk may be increased by providing crosswalks).

This rating system has been adapted and incorporated into the 2001 Traffic Control Device handbook, which is designed to augment the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).[31] This rating system is intended to provide initial guidance on whether an uncontrolled location might be a candidate for a marked crosswalk alone and/or whether additional enhancements may be desirable.[31]  Engineering judgment should be exercised when analyzing factors and determining to install crosswalks at preferred locations.[30], [31]

Below are three visual examples of the rating system:

C: Candidate site for a marked crosswalk.

This marked crosswalk meets all criteria. It crosses only two travel lanes, traffic volumes are low and visibility is very good.

P: Probable candidate site for a marked crosswalk.

Below is an example of a possible candidate site for a crosswalk. With three travel lanes and moderate traffic levels (e.g., traffic volume between 10,000 and 15,000 motor vehicles per day) this marked crosswalk does not clearly fall into the compliant or non-compliant categories. Locations such as these should be carefully evaluated using engineering judgment. Evaluation criteria should include factors such as gaps in the traffic, speed of traffic, proximity to other crossing opportunities and the driver and pedestrian behavior at the site. With a center turn lane there is an opportunity to install a crossing island, thereby reducing the number of travel lanes to two at the crosswalk. In this particular case, a crossing island is not possible due to left-turning vehicles.

N: Marked crosswalks alone are insufficient.

Below is an example of a location where a marked crosswalk alone typically does not work and should not be used without further substantial safety improvements. This uncontrolled marked crosswalk crosses six travel lanes and the average daily traffic is well above 10,000 motor vehicles per day. At a location like this, a marked crosswalk without an accompanying traffic signal or other treatment is not an option.

Providing crosswalks that are very visible helps remind drivers that these are important pedestrian crossings. High visibility crosswalks listed in the MUTCD include ladder and diagonal markings. Although no differences in pedestrian crash risk have been found between parallel crosswalk lines and high visibility markings [30], high-visibility markings are more visible to drivers compared to parallel line markings, and they are becoming more commonly used by some local agencies in recent years (e.g., Orlando, Florida, and Cambridge, Massacusetts). The ladder markings are spaced between tire tracks to increase longevity. Ladder crosswalks may be reserved for busiest crossings or, if cost is an issue, where the crossings may be least expected..

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