Greater Sudbury is getting four new pedestrian crossings in the coming year.
The crossings offer added protection for pedestrians crossing the road.
There are several different types, with some offering full red-yellow-green traffic signals (Ste. Anne Road), while others have overhead and road-level flashing lights (Brady Street) signalling to drivers that someone is crossing.
Details on the different types can be found here.
At a pedestrian crossover, vehicles and cyclists in both directions are required to come to a full stop, and to remain stopped until pedestrians have crossed the entire width of the road to reach the opposite side.
Pedestrians must point across the road or push a button to activate a flashing light to alert motorists of their intent.
The most successful crossovers have been the two installed at the corner of Barrydowne Road and Lasalle Boulevard, said a staff report on the issue reviewed Tuesday by the operations committee.
“The (crossing) installed on Main Street in Lively has witnessed relatively high motorist compliance,” the report said. “This type of (pedestrian crossing) is installed with flashing beacons, which signal more strongly to motorists that stopping for a pedestrian waiting to cross the road is required.”
The lowest level of compliance were the ones on Bond Street and on Elgin Street at Nelson Street, where fewer than half the drivers obeyed the rules.
“However, a closer look at the data suggests this may be the result of the low volume of potential conflicts between pedestrians and motorists observed during the study,” the report said. “The vast majority of pedestrians approaching the (crossovers) were able to make a safe crossing without any conflicts with motor vehicles.
“Similarly the majority of vehicles travelling in these two corridors were able to go through the (crossover) without a pedestrian present. In the instances where there was a pedestrian waiting to cross at the (crossover), the approaching vehicles did not typically stop.”
For 2018, four more crossings were approved:
Algonquin Road at Tuscany Trail; Walford Road at Ramsey View Court; Walford Road at Ramsey View Court; Westmount Avenue at William Street; and, York Street at York Street Playground.
“With a densely populated residential area and retirement residence situated to the north of Westmount Avenue, and with commercial establishments located to the south, pedestrians are frequently crossing mid-block,” the report said.
“Traffic counts conducted for the (pedestrian crossing) warrant determined that the majority of pedestrians crossing in this area are seniors. Providing this controlled mid-block crossing will enable pedestrians to take the shortest route to their destinations, thereby further encouraging more active travel in the neighbourhood.”
