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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations

Report
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-05-104
 Date: July 2006

Lesson 10: Pedestrian Facility Signing and Pavement Markings

This picture shows a pedestrian crosswalk that has wide painted bars parallel to the direction of vehicle travel. Several people are crossing the street, and the text "LOOK RIGHT" is painted on the street next to the curb.

Lesson Outline

  • Regulatory signs.
  • Warning signs.
  • Directional signs.
  • Pavement word and symbol markings.
  • Crosswalk markings.
  • ITS technology.

Regulatory Signs

  • Stop.
  • Yield.
  • Signs related to pedestrian signals.
  • Pedestrian prohibitions.
  • No “right turn on red.”
  • Pedestrian crossings.

This picture shows several examples of regulatory signs from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Source: MUTCD, http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov

Warning Signs

  • Advance pedestrian crossing.
  • Pedestrian crossing.
  • Playground.
  • School bus stop ahead.
  • Advance school crossing.
  • School crossing.

This picture shows several examples of warning signs from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Source: MUTCD, http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov

Directional Signs

  • To aid tourists.
  • To help new residents.
  • To provide the most direct pedestrian routes.

This picture shows several examples of directional signs from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Source: MUTCD, http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov

Pavement Word and Symbol Markings

  • Stop bars.
  • PED XING.
  • SCHOOL XING.

The picture shows the following text painted on the pavement: "PED XING".

The picture shows a STOP bar painted at a intersection, with several vehicles stopped behind the white painted lines.

Crosswalk Markings

This figure has six different crosswalk patterns. The first, Solid, is a filled-in rectangle; the second, Standard, is two parallel lines running vertically; the third, Continental, has seven thick lines running horizontally; the fourth, Dashed, has two dashed lines parallel to each other running vertically; the fifth, Zebra, has two parallel lines running vertically with diagonal lines inside the outer two; and the sixth, Ladder, has two parallel lines running vertically and six thick lines running horizontally inside the other two (like a combination of the Standard and the Continental together).

Source: Safety Effects of Marked versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations

ITS Technology

  • In-roadway warning lights.
  • Countdown signals.
  • Animated eyes displays.
  • Detection devices.
  • Illuminated pushbuttons.

In-Roadway Warning Lights

This photo shows a view from the sky of a zebra crossing (two parallel lines running perpendicular to the roadway with diagonal lines inside the outer two) with in-roadway warning lights located on the outside of the crosswalk.

This photo is a close up of a signal pole with a pedestrian countdown signal that has an outline of a hand and the number "1" to the right of the hand, indicating that there is one second left to cross the intersection safely.

Pedestrian Countdown Signals

View Alternate Text




View Alternate Text

Animated Eyes Display

The animated eyes display has two lighted blue eyes at the top of the box, a hand (not yet flashing) on the left side, and LED lights outlining a pedestrian on the right.
Source: http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsmart/devcmain.htm

The animated eyes display has two lighted blue eyes at the top of the box, a hand (not yet flashing) on the left side, and LED lights outlining a pedestrian on the right.


The animated eyes display has two lighted blue eyes at the top of the box, a hand (not yet flashing) on the left side, and LED lights outlining a pedestrian on the right.

Detection Devices

This slide includes four pictures that illustrate examples of different types of pedestrian detection devices. In each picture, a small metal box-like device is attached to a pole and is pointed at the general area where pedestrians are likely to be walking.

This slide includes four pictures that illustrate examples of different types of pedestrian detection devices. In each picture, a small metal box-like device is attached to a pole and is pointed at the general area where pedestrians are likely to be walking.

  

This slide includes four pictures that illustrate examples of different types of pedestrian detection devices. In each picture, a small metal box-like device is attached to a pole and is pointed at the general area where pedestrians are likely to be walking.

This slide includes four pictures that illustrate examples of different types of pedestrian detection devices. In each picture, a small metal box-like device is attached to a pole and is pointed at the general area where pedestrians are likely to be walking.
Source: PBIC, www.pedbikeimages.org

Illuminated Pushbuttons

This slide shows two pictures to illustrate an example of an illuminated pushbutton. In the picture on the left, a metal pushbutton is shown below a crossing explanation plaque. The picture on the right shows an enlarged view of the pushbutton, and a small circle is visible in the middle of the metal pushbutton. This small circle is lighted when the pushbutton has been pressed.

Source: PBIC, www.pedbikeimages.org

Lesson Summary

  • Signing and marking are important for controlling and segregating motorized and nonmotorized traffic.
  • Appropriate pedestrian signing and marking improve the pedestrian way-finding system.
  • ITS devices may improve the safety and efficiency of pedestrian crossing treatments.

 

FHWA-HRT-05-104

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