The purpose of this report is to provide information on the types of approved pedestrian crossing facilities that can be used in South Australia.

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Brice Nelson
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1 INFORMATION REPORT REPORT TITLE: ITEM NUMBER: 91 DATE OF MEETING: 14 JULY 2010 AUTHOR: JOB TITLE: RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: JOB TITLE: COMMUNITY GOAL: REPRESENTOR/S: ATTACHMENTS: PEDESTRIAN CROSSING FACILITIES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA CHARLES MOUNTAIN MANAGER TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC PETER TSOKAS GENERAL MANAGER CITY DEVELOPMENT 3 Physical Infrastructure Ensure a sustainable, safe and integrated transport system is developed and maintained for the community considering a balance between intra-city and inter-city demands NIL 1 - EXAMPLES OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to provide information on the types of approved pedestrian crossing facilities that can be used in South Australia. RECOMMENDATION MOVED: SECONDED: That: 1. The report be received and noted. This is page 7 of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee Agenda for 14 July 2010

2 BACKGROUND The City of Unley has prepared a design for a pedestrian refuge on King William Road. During the course of the community consultation process, a number of concerns were raised regarding the potential loss of car parking. Following a site meeting with the affected businesses and Councillor Hewitson, it was proposed that the design and location of the refuge be reviewed to mitigate the impact on parking while establishing some form of device to enable pedestrians to safely stage their crossing of the road. This prompted a request from one of the members of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee (RSC) for information to be provided to other members of the RSC on what types of pedestrian crossing facilities are available and where can they be appropriately used. In South Australia, the Minister for Transport has granted general approval to Councils and the Commissioner of Highways to use certain traffic control devices. The permitted range of devices is described along with the conditions under which they may be used in the Code of Technical Requirements for the Legal use of Traffic Control Devices. While the Code makes reference to a number of Australian Standards, and parts of the Austroads Guide to Traffic Engineering Practice, it takes precedence over these and all other documents. The obligation upon councils and also the Commissioner of Highways is that approval is contingent upon the devices being designed, installed, altered and removed in accordance with the Code. Within the Code there are a number of devices that councils do not have delegated authority to use without obtaining specific approval from the Minister or his delegate. Devices that fall into this category include speed limits other than temporary speed limits for works on roads or 25km/h speed limits associated with school zones and school crossings and wombat crossings. The Code refers to a number of devices that can be installed to assist pedestrians to cross. The devices fall into two distinct categories, namely those that incorporate some form of traffic signal or flag that gives pedestrians priority over traffic and those that assist the passage of pedestrians by either reducing the crossing distance or allowing them to stage their crossing. The devices in the former category include: Pedestrian actuated mid-block crossing Koala school crossing Wombat crossing Emu crossing This is page 8 of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee Agenda for 14 July 2010

3 The devices that fall into the latter category include : Pedestrian refuges Medians Kerb protuberances The selection of the most appropriate device depends on a number of factors including the number of pedestrians crossing in a given area, the speed and volume of traffic the type of pedestrian, the environment and the budget available. DISCUSSION The justification for a pedestrian crossing facility is based upon an identified need. This is usually ascertained by undertaking a pedestrian survey. However this does not always give a true indication of demand because people may not cross simply because it is deemed too difficult and therefore there may be no numerical data to support the installation. However, in some cases it can be reasonably argued that pedestrian generators such as shops, community centres and schools attract pedestrians who may need to cross the road in order to reach them and therefore the provision of a crossing facility is justified. Crossing Types Pedestrian actuated mid-block crossing. These crossings are typically installed at locations where there is a high traffic volume coupled with a steady pedestrian demand (e.g. near shops or schools located on a major road). These crossings incorporate conventional traffic signals and an electronic controller unit which operates the signals in accordance with a predetermined program and can be actuated by pedestrians on demand. Such crossings incorporate audio tactile devices to assist visually impaired persons. These crossings can also be linked to adjacent traffic signals during peak periods to improve traffic flow, however this usually results in longer delays for pedestrians to cross. This type of crossing is expensive to install and there are ongoing operating costs in terms of electricity consumption, maintenance and eventual replacement. It also requires extensive parking restrictions on both the approach and departure side of the crossing. There can be difficulties in locating such a crossing in an existing environment due to verandahs, property access points, bus zones and trees. This type of crossing has the advantage in that the motorists must stop on the red signal which is activated before pedestrians step off the pavement. Other forms of crossing rely on motorists to stop only when pedestrians are observed about to cross the road. This is page 9 of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee Agenda for 14 July 2010

4 Koala crossing These crossings are found near schools and are used to give children crossing the road priority over traffic. These crossings are located within 25km/h School Zones so that when the amber signals are flashing, motorists are required to slow to this speed and stop to let children and adults cross. The signals operate for predetermined periods each day, coinciding with the arrival and departure of children. These crossings must be sited so that children approaching the crossing are visible. Manual operation is permitted outside of normal operating times e.g. when a school group needs to cross the road (but within school hours). The school is provided with a key for this purpose. Wombat crossing This type of crossing is a development of the Zebra crossing but differs in the fact that the pedestrian crosswalk must be on a raised plateau and can only be installed on a section of road with a 40kmh speed limit and a maximum roadway width of 8.0 metres. These crossings are ideally suited to environments where traffic is already slow moving and there is high number of pedestrians crossing throughout the day. Councils do not have delegated authority to install this type of crossing and must obtain approval from the Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure to do so. Emu Crossing This type of crossing is also used near schools within a 25km/h school zone but rather than using flashing lights, the crossing is activated by the manual installation of flags. These are issued to the school and the installation and removal is the responsibility of the school. These crossings, like the Koala crossings are only intended to be used to assign priority to children arriving or departing school. When the flags are removed, pedestrians have no priority over traffic beyond the usual priorities. Pedestrian Refuges These consist of a median with a gap to allow pedestrians to stage their crossing. The refuge is identified with red and white striped handrails and includes pedestrian ramps in the footpath. The refuge should be 2.0 metres in width however there are instances where widths of down to 1.2 metres have been used. In order to accommodate a refuge it is usually necessary to reduce the width of the adjacent traffic lanes and in some cases this will result in the loss of car parking and local road widening to ensure that adequate travel lane width is maintained past the refuge. Pedestrians have no priority over traffic when using a pedestrian refuge, except at an intersection or junction where turning vehicles must give way to pedestrians. This is page 10 of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee Agenda for 14 July 2010

5 Medians Medians are primarily used to provide a physical separation between opposing directions of traffic but can also assist pedestrians to cross. While they can be similar in appearance to pedestrian refuges, they do not incorporate hand rails, usually because they are not as wide and will not normally incorporate a cut out for pedestrians, except at intersections or junctions. Kerb protuberances These are sections of raised pavement located next to or incorporated into existing footpaths to reduce the crossing distance and also provide a location between parked vehicles where pedestrians can cross. It can also alert motorists that they can expect to encounter pedestrians crossing at these locations. This is page 11 of the City of Unley Road Safety Committee Agenda for 14 July 2010

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