Thanks to reader Eric for sending this in:
The Virginia Department of Transportation is trying a crooked, zigzag line road painting scheme that has proven successful in increasing awareness of pedestrian zones in the UK. The presence of road lines painted in crooked patterns on purpose helps create a break in drivers’ thought processes and reminds them to slow down and be aware that pedestrian activity is likely.
From the story:
“It is a low cost strategy to get motorists to slow down as they approach the bike trail and pedestrian path,” says VDOT’s Mike Salmon. “While at first motorists may be a little disoriented, the main point is to get them to pay attention and slow down through that area.”
Read the rest at Washington, D.C. radio station WTOP.
To learn a little more about how the road painting works, I recommend one of the local road safety sites from the United Kingdom, like this one from Cardiff, Wales.
You can see in the photo from their site that green cones have been added to the mix along with the zigzag painting to make it painfully obvious that cars are not to park in those zones (there’s a pretty steep ticket for doing so, usually).
on Apr 22nd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
They put in these lines down not far from where I live. They need to put some of them a few miles east on Hunter Mill Rd and Maple Av by the W&OD. I don’t know how many times I have almost been hit by drivers not paying attention as I ride home from work. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be problem in the morning, only in the afternoon.
on Sep 19th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
We don’t need that socialist propaganda in America.