09-13-2016, 01:29 PM
(09-13-2016, 01:15 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: Why not more pedestrian refuges, anyway? Most roads don’t need anything more than a pedestrian refuge, especially if the road is only one lane in each direction. They didn’t answer that question, just talked about a minor variation on the existing concept of a crosswalk as if it were a substantial new idea.
I agree with this, especially when thinking about a crossing such as Union and the Spur Line. If one of these newfangled level two crossings is put there, what proportion of motorists will be aware of their obligation to stop?
There are plenty of parts of the HTA that motorists routinely ignore, and the vast majority likely have no awareness of. For example, at a cross street, someone on foot has the right of way whether there are any markings or not, or any signals for traffic or not- the crosswalk exists between the two sidewalks.
But how many people would stake their life on a motorist's knowledge of that? And how many will cross at these level two crossings with full confidence that the motorist with enough distance to stop will see the signs, and come to a stop?
Actually, in the case of Union and the Spur Line, a level two crossing isn't even possible given the distance from Moore. But they're no good anywhere since they don't accommodate cyclists. I think your question- "why not more pedestrian refuges, anyway?"- is dead on. On many streets, they'll actually provide safety without depending on motorists to follow the rules, which is the ideal.