How Do You Get A Crosswalk Installed?

A brother and sister are out walking their dog when one is hit at an intersection.

The father of a prominent politician is struck while trying to cross the street and suffers fatal injuries.

Getting across the road with your life has become a less than sure activity in the G.T.A. as fast cars and faster schedules make for more dangerous streets.

So how do you get a crosswalk installed in a place where there’s rarely a break in the action?

It’s a process that’s both simple and complicated and it starts with a request to Toronto’s Transportation Operations Department.

But the manager for the Scarborough District tells CityNews.ca that too many people run to their local councillor and not enough wind up talking to people in his department.

“Very commonly, people say we’ve always been wanting this but the reality is they’ve never articulated that desire right to the city,” notes Andre Filippetti.

When a request comes in for a crosswalk, his staff undertakes a study to see if it’s justified.

A crew is sent out at peak periods to watch for the number of pedestrians crossing, how long their delays are, whether it’s generally safe to cross and the volume of traffic.  Most of the monitoring lasts for at least eight hours to give them a full idea of how bad the problem is.

Once they crunch the numbers, a decision is made about whether the area in question actually needs what the city terms a ‘cross over.’

How long does it all take?

“That could vary a little bit. It depends on the budget allocations,” Filippetti explains. “There’s a certain pool of money for pedestrian cross overs or traffic signals that gets allocated every year. And if the demand for those devices exceeds the budget, it could be possibly two years.

“But generally speaking…we’re probably realistically looking at within a year at least.”

Why does it take so long?

Part of the problem is that once the request is approved by the transport experts, it still has to go through community councils and then on to city council before a cent can be spent. And unlike the wheels of a car, the wheels of government don’t move that fast.

And it’s not cheap – depending on the kind of crosswalk you’re seeking (just flashing lights or those with a pedestrian ‘refuge’ island) it adds up. Most cost at least $50,000 to put in, and that doesn’t include the maintenance.

Filippetti adds that the city has recently finished an audit of the cross overs in Toronto and has taken action on fixing those that don’t seem to be working.

“Anything from upgrading the size of the beacons to removing them altogether and replacing them with signals,” he reveals.

If you’re concerned about an area in the city you think needs one of the crosswalks, write Filippetti at afilipp@toronto.ca and his people will determine if an investigation and an installation is warranted.

Crosswalk Advantages

• May help show pedestrians the shortest route across traffic

• May help position pedestrians where they can best be seen by oncoming traffic

• May improve the night-time visibility of pedestrian crossing roadway

• May help limit pedestrian traffic to specific locations

• May aid in enforcing pedestrian crossing regulations

• May remind motorists that they are approaching a location where pedestrians can be expected.

Disadvantages

• May cause pedestrians to have a false sense of security and place themselves in an unnecessarily hazardous position with vehicular traffic

• May cause the pedestrian to think that the motorist can/will stop in all cases, even when it is unsafe/impossible to do so

• May cause a greater number of rear-end collisions, as pedestrians misjudge the intentions of motorists and don’t wait for appropriate gaps in traffic

• May cause an increase in both pedestrian and motorist injuries

• May foster disrespect for all pedestrian regulations and traffic controls if installed when not warranted.

Sources: Citynews.ca and City of Toronto Transportation Dept.