An eye-popping crosswalk design could be coming to a Langford road in a bid to slow down traffic.
City staff are suggesting a three-dimensional crosswalk, similar to those originated in Great Britan, for Peatt Road.
The crosswalk would be enhanced with shadow effects to create the illusion that the standard white “zebra” bars are floating in the air, and thus encourage drivers to slow down.
“3D street art has been around for awhile as a part of arts and culture in many parts of the world, but in recent years it has now been used as enhancing public safety,” reads a staff report to the city’s transportation and public works committee.
The trial crosswalk would be installed in the middle of the 2700-block of Peatt Road between Goldstream and Brock avenues.
“The reason we chose this location is the high volume of traffic in this area and the traffic calming that we would like to encourage in the downtown core,” said Michelle Mahovlich, the city’s director of engineering.
Studies vary on the effectiveness of such crosswalks from very little to as much as a 40 per cent change in driver behaviour, dropping speeds up to 15 kilometres an hour.
The city’s fire department has also endorsed the trial “as it meets their concerns for response times given they do not have to slow down for a speed hump,” the report reads.
The cost of upgrading the crosswalk is estimated at around $4,500 and would come from the Neighbourhood Improvement Budget.
If the trial is successful, the 3D crosswalk would be maintained through the city’s operations budget.
The committee passed a motion to recommend that council install the crosswalk as a trial and bring results back to council within a year.
Jeff Lawrence
