Crosswalk Visibility is Both a Safety and Equity Issue
Finishing the Lines Project Crosses the Finishing Line
Those walking the campus may have discovered that the crosswalks across the UMB campus have received a bright white refresh.
Covering sixteen separate intersections, the 10-month-long project was spearheaded by Polly Thomas of the Office of Real Estate, Planning, and Space Management (REPSM), who worked with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation to complete the plan.
“I was told that this has been an ongoing project that started before I was hired, and that we have been working on getting the crosswalks repainted for a while,” said Thomas. “This was the first project I was given when I started back in March and was told this was a top priority for our department, and for the school. There were a number of bureaucratic hurdles to overcome, but we got it finally got it finished over the holiday break.”
The state of the crosswalks was a subject that was on people’s minds. Carin Cardella of Police and Public Safety says, “We conducted a public safety survey in 2021 and (numerous) written responses were about crosswalk safety. In particular, respondents said they felt unsafe in the crosswalks, which were often worn down or difficult to see. As a result, vehicles were not always stopping despite being legally required to do so.
While the esthetics of the crosswalks are what most people will notice—they do look eye catching—the overriding safety concerns are what made the project a high priority.
Maryland law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks and intersections. What’s more, pedestrians, drivers, and infrastructure play an essential role in ensuring that everyone stays out of harm’s way.
According to Zero Deaths Maryland, “Approximately one out of every four people killed in Maryland in a traffic crash was a pedestrian on foot,” while the Governors Highway Safety Association found that “pedestrian deaths are increasing faster than all other traffic fatalities.”
Addressing pedestrian safety is a national issue. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seventy-seven percent of all pedestrian fatalities occur in dark conditions. Infrastructure visibility enhancements—such as roadway lighting and improved crosswalk visibility—are shown to save pedestrian lives. Urban crosswalks can help protect pedestrians crossing at intersections while crosswalk areas may also have streetlights nearby to make pedestrians more visible.
The presence of the University of Maryland Medical Center on the campus offers another reason pedestrian safety is such a critical issue. According to the open-source site, The Journalist’s Resource, “Current traffic light timings are typically set according to the average walking speed of a person without physical disabilities under age 65 — creating potentially dangerous situations for older pedestrians, people with disabilities,” and also patients who may be moving slower after a stay in the hospital.
Finally, there is also an equity issue in play when it comes to pedestrian safety. Low-income communities and underserved populations have often been left out of conversations about transportation planning. This can lead to unsafe conditions where pedestrians from certain neighborhoods endure greater risk in going about their everyday lives.
“Our results also align with previous research that has established links between race and inequities in safety and accessibility of transportation, including walking, and neighborhood social inequities, traffic volumes, road design, and road traffic injuries,” the Journalist’s Resources notes.
Whether you’re a driver or a pedestrian, always pay close attention to your environment, put away all distractions, and keep your eyes on the road. Because everyone deserves to be safe in their travels, whether it’s on the UMB campus, or around the city as a whole.