Crosswalk safety is in everyone’s interest.
Since 2008 I have made efforts to improve crosswalk safety in my community, primarily through the implementation of a crosswalk flag program. Through my research it struck me as surprising there is no website dedicated to crosswalk safety, until now. Welcome to www.crosswalksafety.ca.
There are a number of great ideas to increase awareness and improve crosswalk safety
an example of which can be seen in this video from La Paz, Bolivia.
“You have no idea how well this is working in La Paz. 10 years ago car drivers didn’t care about pedestrians crossing streets in La Paz (believe it or not). Nowadays there is a huge change for the good. Kids love costumes, streets look happier and crazy and they have even become a tourist attraction. Greetings from Bolivia” Alvar Luksic.
Is crosswalk safety an issue? The Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) Regional Police report crosswalk injuries increased 22% from 2011 to 2012, from 115 to 140. 2013 experience shows a significant further increase in collisions. I suggest this data clearly indicates it is.
Recognizing the importance of engineering and enforcement to crosswalk safety the focus of this site is on the third ‘E’ – education. Through the following pages you can learn about the laws that govern crosswalks (in Nova Scotia, Canada) and how governments, transportation departments, police, drivers and pedestrians can contribute to improving crosswalk safety.
Crosswalk Safety Survey
While all are important in order to assess the priorities of Education, Enforcement and Visibility I ask that you complete the following short survey and email your rankings to crosswalksafety@eastlink.ca
If you had to rank these three initiatives from 1st to 3rd, i.e. if you controlled funding but were only allowed to invest it in one of these, which would it be? If you then received more funding but could only invest in one of the remaining two initiatives, which would it then be.
Please rank education, enforcement and visibility from first to third as to impact on crosswalk safety (1 being the most impact to 3 being the least impact).
____ education – both drivers and pedestrians; brochures; infor on websites; TV spots etc.
____ enforcement – ticketing of pedestrian and driver crosswalk violations
____ visibility – at crosswalks using flags; reflective tape; enhanced pavement markings etc.
Thank you.
The goal of this website is to inform and generate awareness to a wide audience – from elementary students to seniors, and everyone in between. To that end if there is any further information you can suggest to add to the site, or you have any questions please contact me at crosswalksafety@eastlink.ca
You can learn about Shared Responsibility, ways for Improving Safety and a number of Safety Tips. As well there are Statistics, Studies and Fines for Violations in the Facts and Studies section.
I would like to suggest that perhaps the most interesting part of the website are the crosswalk quizzes. There are two, one for adults and the other for students. Please take the True / False quizzes to see how much you know, or don’t, about crosswalk safety regulations. The quizzes are on the pages Adult Quiz and Student Quiz.
There are a number of topical videos, some that demonstrate safety opportunities, such as in-road lighting and some that are somewhat lighthearted, like the zebras in Bolivia (above), that still present an important message.
For the students (and adults too) there are a few games related to crosswalk safety that you will find
on the Safety Games page. Test your skill.
I hope you will find this site informative. Please forward the site to anyone you know who will benefit from learning more about and considering crosswalk safety.
… be Cautious … be Seen … be Safe
Yours In Crosswalk Safety,
Norm Collins