Share with Direct Line your ideas to make pedestrian crossings safer - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED!

[EmmaMumsnet]

Direct Line have approached us to ask MNers for their ideas on how to make pedestrian crossing safer for pedestrians and motorists. Over 7,000 incidents are recorded each year at UK crossings between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and Direct Line would like to hear your thoughts on how to improve them.

Rachael Lynch, Innovation Marketing Manager at Direct Line said; “72 per cent of UK adults feel crossings need to be updated and in October 2017 Direct Line developed the world’s smartest pedestrian crossing, the Smart Crossing. As we developed the technology, it became apparent that the potential for what could be done was far greater than we had initially imagined, which is why we have made the technology open source and are continuing to work with partners to explore ways to modernise the pedestrian crossing for all road users including pedestrians and motorists."

So please share below your most creative ideas for how to improve pedestrian crossings. Do also share your thoughts on the safety at pedestrian crossings and how you and your children were/are taught about road safety.

Everyone who comments on the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks,

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

All crossings need to be signalised, zebra crossings are a waste of time in my opinion, agro drivers drive through them when they can see someone waiting to cross, and distracted pedestrians just wander out into traffic as if there's some sort of invisible force field that will protect them.

Lots of people have mentioned timings of crossings, on the new pelican crossings in NI there are little senors that tell the lights when the pedestrians have made it to the other foot way, however if you don't stay within the studs they wont work. So as another poster has said, education on house the crossings work, some sort of advertising campaign on TV.

Cyclists need to be segregated, they speed though pedestrian crossings and don't think traffic signals apply to them, maybe a wee cyclepath between the footway and road that pedestrians could safely cross to get to the button, but cyclists could use to avoid the red light. They're not gonna stop so it might make it safer.

Warning signs beforehand, raised crossings so you have to slow down to drive over them, increased lighting, but also keeping children aware that you still need to check that a car is actually stopping before starting to cross. Too many teenagers step out into the road with an attitude of it's their right to cross and everyone will have to screech to a halt around them. A bit of respect on both sides would be good.

More time to cross, signs on blind bends to warn drivers and to slow traffic down, cameras where possible to protect pedestrians.

I think that penalties should be heavier for drivers who do not give pedestrians enough time to cross or who don't even stop!

Longer time for people to cross the roads.
And barriers. Not for people but for traffic especially bikes. The barrier goes down slowly when the light starts to flash.

And get rid of Zebra crossings. They were useless when I was a kid and they are still useless now.

I have treated patients who have been hit at a pedestrian crossing. It just goes to show how dangerous drivers can be.

The safest thing would be to have barriers that come down like at a train crossing. But failing this, making all pelican crossings with traffic lights. Drivers seem to pay attention to those

more severe penalties for drivers/motorists/cyclists for running red lights or not stopping at crossing or junktions to let pedestrians cross.
better campain for motorists to bloody adhere to the highway code and to not endanger other road users and pedestrians.

ANPR cameras to catch cars running red lights.
The edges of the crossing could glow at night to indicate the green man and to help pedestrians see their way across.

Was coming on to suggest the 3-D trompe l'oeil painted crossings being trialled in Iceland but I see they've already been mentioned.

Sufficient priority to pedestrians/cyclists wanting to cross would help prevent crossing against time. There is too much concern about not wanting to disturb the flow of traffic, yet the pedestrians and cyclists are the ones who are in the open, exposed to the elements

Thinking of the main road just before my kids' school, where a zebra used to have a lollipop person but council can't afford it any more - sign saying automatic cameras in operation, more lights on it, and cameras that record for 48h and a website so when you get nearly run over you can enter the time on the site, and press a button for the case to be reported to traffic police as well as automatically fining everyone who speeds through it.
Given other roads have similar cameras even if not accurate at auto-fining (I got a ticket recently for failing to give way to oncoming vehicle. Reviewed the online video and successfully appealed as there was no oncoming vehicle!), it should be doable and pay for itself soon - any accidents on main roads cause gridlock across the borough!

drive straight through them even with pedestrians evidently waiting.

There’s no obligation for cars to stop at zebra crossings when people are waiting to cross, only to give way to pedestrians already crossing.

There’s no obligation for cars to stop at zebra crossings when people are waiting to cross, only to give way to pedestrians already crossing.

well, that should change imo.
what's the point of a zebra crossing otherwise?

well, that should change imo

Totally agree

More camera enforcement - in theory everyone should know how to use a crossing safely, and all drivers should know that it's their responsibility to yield to pedestrians, but in practice, the chances of getting caught are very low, and drivers just DGAF. I'm so fed up of drivers who go past the stop line and block the crossing so when the green man appears you can't actually safely cross the road. How about we focus some of our resources on getting drivers to do the basic minimum expected of them? I'm fed up of whingy newspaper articles about the 'war on the motorist' any time there's an attempt to enforce the speed limit/crack down on illegal parking. Get better or get the bus.

I think there should be stricter penalties for injuring someone using a crossing. People seem to ignore them lots. It’s really been highlighted as my DS starts to cross roads more independently and I’ve had to start explaining that you can’t rely on them.
Also, I would suggest a bright silhouettte of a person on the zebra crossing lights. I find they can be hard to spot sometimes.

An education campaign the pedestrians always have right if way and for as long as it takes them to cross safely with punishments for bullying, revving, failure to stop etc.

Having fewer idiots on the roads would make them safer.
I like the idea of speed bumps either side of a crossing and would a reduced speed limit and cameras too, if money was no object.

Much better lighting near them and longer no parking zones on either side.
I very nearly didn’t see someone crossing a zebra crossing near my house tonight. The road was far too dark and the cars parked in the parking bays before the crossing completely hid the pedestrian.
Thank goodness I spotted him just in time

I have mobility problems, at 29 most motorists are unforgiving about the young lady in front of them with the walking stick and generally never wait for me to cross. Longer time to cross would benefit me greatly. Although they all seem to come through on amber and red any way. A range rover has nearly taken me and my daughter out on more than one occasion around here. I actually think lights on the ground is a good idea, too many people get knocked over because they are looking at their phones, we could at least trial it- i'm sure they do it somewhere.

Just get rid of flashing amber - it is seen by some drivers as green.

Our local school has a crossing, but no stripes or anything. They do have the zigzags banning parking though.

I think that all crossings on busy roads should be traffic light controlled, and as a PP suggested, it would be good to have a cancel button, so that if you can cross safely before the lights change, you can cancel it once you are on the other side. I always feel guilty too, at crossing a clear road after pushing the button!

They need to put speed bumps before them to slow drivers down and signage to alert them to the fact that they may need to stop ahead. Far too many drivers choose not to stop at them! It's very difficult to teach children how to cross a road safely at them, when some drivers choose to ignore them and drive straight through anyway, regardless of pedestrians. Only yesterday, a lady almost mowed me down when I was crossing one at the hospital entrance!

I think pp’s suggestions about better lighting (so motorists can see people waiting) and the countdown timers, are good. I also wonder about ‘rumble strips’ (you sometimes get them coming off motorways)

I think there should be a reduced speed limit near zebra crossings wherever possible so that the driver is approaching them slowly and has more time to see the pedestrians and assess when to stop. Better lighting would help too.

Traffic light all of them and ensure they have cameras.