EUROPEAN PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS

A wide variety of practices are used in Great Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands to enhance pedestrian safety and mobility at street crossings. This article examines the suitability of these practices for transfer to the United States. The Federal Highway Administration sponsored a pedestrian and bicycle research scanning trip to the three European countries mentioned above. Great Britain employs mostly curb ramps with some type of tactile warning devices. The Dutch concentrate on bicycle facilities and traffic-calming strategies as a whole, rather than pedestrian accommodations. And likewise in Germany, the focus is on implementing areawide traffic calming strategies, not specific pedestrian treatments. Disincentives for motor vehicles, education, and law enforcement are discusssed.