20.10.2020
Three-dimensional pedestrian crossings have conquered the Internet after the authorities of the Indian city of New Delhi and the tiny Icelandic village of Isafjördur boasted of painting them. In both cases, this innovative solution made the drivers take their foot off the accelerator. Other countries followed in the footsteps of the precursors, including Poland, where in recent weeks as many as three such “zebras” have been created thanks to the Hello ICE campaign.
Miechów, Lesznowola and Bartoszyce – these towns have joined the group of cities that are testing a new, revolutionary solution to increase pedestrian safety. Three-dimensional pedestrian crossings look like an obstacle thanks to an optical illusion, which forces drivers to take their foot off the accelerator. According to research conducted in New Delhi, the capital of India, which was the first to test this method of fighting for pedestrian safety, the average speed of vehicles before the 3D crossing was as much as 40% lower than in the same location before. Such good results have aroused the interest of the whole world and in the last three years three-dimensional “zebras” have been created, among others, in Iceland, London, China and France. The idea raised initial concerns among drivers, some of them argued that such horizontal markings are dangerous because it can scare drivers into emergency braking. “There is no such risk. The optical illusion is subtle enough to attract the attention of drivers, but at the same time visible enough to take their foot off the accelerator. I believe that we should stop blaming the authorities for everything, and start helping them solve the biggest problems of humanity, using our talents – emphasizes Saumya Pandya Thakkar, an Indian 3D artist who, together with her mother, designs three-dimensional pedestrian crossings in India. In her country, nearly 16 thousand pedestrians were killed in 2016. This was one of the key arguments to look for non-standard solutions.
More and more accidents on the lanes
Although the number of road accident victims in Poland has been decreasing in recent years, the safety of pedestrians at crossings, where they should be maximally protected, is not improving. In 2009, people who died on the lanes accounted for 5.2% of all deaths in accidents, and in 2018 – as much as 10%. Annually, it is over 200 people. The most vulnerable groups are seniors and children and young people on their way to and from school. – For pedestrians up to The vast majority of incidents involving them occur in places that should be safe by definition (e.g. pedestrian crossings, pavements). Every year, the vast majority of vehicle drivers are the perpetrators of this type of road accidents – hence the services responsible for ensuring compliance with the law play an important role in ensuring the safety of unprotected road users. The police, in addition to “standard” activities, undertakes many actions directed against these road users, as well as preventive actions aimed at various age groups – emphasizes Commissioner Robert Opas from the Road Traffic Bureau of the National Police Headquarters.
Police officers are constantly looking for new ways to increase safety at pedestrian crossings, but – as the Indian artist emphasized – society should not only demand, but also help. That is why the Hello ICE program was created in Poland, under which a number of activities are carried out to improve the safety of children.
“Safety on Polish roads is improving, but we still have a long way to go to catch up with the Scandinavian countries, for example. Painting three-dimensional pedestrian crossings is one of the elements of our Hello ICE program. It is a creative and unconventional approach to the problem of pedestrian safety. I am glad that the local authorities from Bartoszyce, Miechów and Lesznowola were persuaded to this solution and helped us overcome the bureaucracy, which unfortunately makes it very difficult to introduce 3D crossings on a large scale – emphasizes Katarzyna Wójcik, an expert on communication in Budimex, the company organising the Hello ICE programme.
Systemic solutions needed
Currently, the number of three-dimensional “zebras” in Poland is small, and they are located primarily on internal roads near schools and in park complexes. This is due to the legal status – such horizontal markings are not normative in the eyes of the legislator Local government officials who want to use this solution on public roads often have their hands tied, although 3D belts have already proven themselves in many countries, and their users praise them very much. – In the place where the 3D lanes were created, there have been many dangerous situations before. When I walked my granddaughter to school, I had to watch out for cars leaving from the direction of the housing estate. Now drivers are slowing down and are more careful. And children also look around more carefully before they enter the road. It’s just safer. I hope that such three-dimensional pedestrian crossings will be built all over Poland in dangerous places. You have to use good models – emphasizes Barbara, a resident of Bartoszyce. We hear similar voices when talking to drivers in Miechów, Bartoszyce or Lesznowola.
The worst time for Polish pedestrians is approaching. In autumn and winter, when darkness falls early, most of them die. Worse visibility means that drivers are often unable to see them in time. Therefore, it is worth remembering not only about reflectors, but also about road infrastructure. It is also necessary to develop systemic solutions that will enable local governments to act efficiently in the field of increasing pedestrian safety. After all, not as many of them die on the roads of any EU country as in Poland.
