Decatur Plans 8 New Faux-Brick Crosswalks
Decatur Metro | March 8, 2009I forgot to mention another key element of Phase II of the city’s sidewalk plan: eight new faux-brick crosswalks – like the one currently across Ponce at E. Courthouse Square – installed across the city.
I’m not sure of they’re specific locations yet, as the report just says they’ll be at “8 intersections with substantial pedestrian traffic”, but I hope one is planned for the Ponce crosswalk near Taqueria del Sol. I’m forever challenging drivers to stop for me there…and only ever with modest success.
The brick crosswalk sacrifices function for the sake of form. Yes, it is a pleasant walking surface for pedestrians and gives a nice village feel to downtown. But from the driver’s vantage point, the brick crosswalk doesn’t show up enough until you’re almost on top of it (or worse, until you hear the sound of the bricks under your tires–too late). There isn’t enough contrast between the color of the brick and the color of the road, even with the thin white border around the brick. Difficult enough to see during the day, impossible to see at dusk or at night. We pedestrians need all the help we can get in crossing safely: the more-visible traditional white-striped crosswalk, the cone signs, and of course enforcement. I wish the City would reconsider.
I agree–the Taqueria crosswalk is scary. I bully my way across.
One confusing thing about that crosswalk is that people are often waiting for the bus there and you can’t tell if they are waiting for the bus or to cross.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Brick®!!!
The ones in Norcross have lights in the side that only the drivers can see.
InDecatur has a pic of the map that shows the location of the new crosswalks. Four are along Ponce, two are along S. Candler and the most interesting one is along W. Howard at Adair.
Even with its slight elevation, a raised, textured crosswalk on W. Howard will really force people to slow along that strip. Hitting that thing at 45mph probably won’t be to pleasant.
Salt Lake City has these funny little pedestrian flags that anyone crossing in the crosswalk can take and wave around while they are crossing the street and then drop them off in another receptacle on the opposite side. They are pretty hilarious and make for good color guard imitations while one saunters across the street.
As far as dangerous…the crossing at the old Tossed location is even worse. I think people gun their engines at the green light to speed up and hit people in the cross walk. That whole stretch from Commerce to the courthouse is pretty dangerous given that people who work at Emory are always crossing at Quiznos instead of going to either cross walk.
JM, send your concerns to the City Commission and the Public Works Director.
Hey, JM, could this be addressed by just doubling the width of the white border stripes on both sides so they’re more visible?
Agreed.
Whenever I’m waiting for the bus, folks stop their cars. Whenever I’m trying to cross the street, folks try to run me over.
I wonder if that bus stop could be moved, even just a few yards?
Seems like it’d be one of those things that should be easy thing to do. Then again, it might require a ream of bureaucratic paperwork, a kilo of red tape, and two environmental impact studies to get done.
These are great, Decatur should use them, they have them over in Athens as well…
Lights in the side of what? Can you provide a pic? I’m intrigued.
I’m not tech savvy enough to add a pic, but if you google it there are some. THey are just small lights (same size as the reflectors found in middle of roads…size of a deck of cards…every 3 feet or so facing the drivers) that flash when you press a button to cross the walk. easily visable to the driver, gets your attention anyway.
google ‘light guard pedestiran” and the first image is a good graphic…
Those do look kind of cool but I think part of why the city was happy to pursue these is because of how they’re relatively inexpensive. Adding electronic infrastructure might skew the pricing outside our budget.
Some I believe are solar powered, no tie in to infrastructure needed…(I think that’s how Athens are…not sure though).
doesn’t negate the fact they cost more though, but if we throw tax dollars at resurfacing a previously perfectly fine Scott Blvd…why not?
Yeah, sounds expensive. Plus I think the original concern might be a bit overstated. Though the new, red sidewalks might not be quite as visable to a newcomer, anyone that drives down Ponce everyday now probably drives a bit slower through that area because of the new sidewalk. If we’re really concerned about providing more contrast with the street, more white paint isn’t all that expensive.
The Scott Blvd resurfacing were State $$, not City, and, as someone who travels Ponce several times a week, it was needed.