Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Could Green Crosswalks make Dunwoody a safer place to walk as well as be a distinctive characteristic for our city?

Chatham, Massachusetts - Crosswalks

A friend (and Dunwoody resident) just returned from Chatham, Massachusetts which is located on Cape Cod and she was really impressed with the distinctive crosswalks that they utilized. The standard white lines (maybe a little thicker than what we see here) filled in with a sea green color was used all over town and I am told that people were easier to see while crossing and that it was a very distinctive feature within the city limits not found elsewhere.

Distinctively colored crosswalks are not really new as we are all familiar with brick or raised walking paths but those can also be problematic for wheelchairs or women in heels therefore are sometimes frowned upon.

As I reviewed the the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), I discovered in Chapter 3G.01 (page 428) that this practice of a painted crosswalk is allowable.

Thoughts?

1 comment:

Pattie Baker said...

John: re: brick crosswalks, I also think I read somewhere that the brick crosswalks are presenting problems to aging eyes (especially at night), and are a serious concern regarding our Senior Tsunami, happening locally and nationwide right now.