Roads – be it in an urban setting or in a rural area, pedestrians are in constant danger whether they are walking along the sides of the road or while crossing one. Recently, statistical dataput forth by iRAP (or International Road Assessment Program), show that more than 80 per cent of roads in the world, where traffic flows in more than 25miles an hour and there is a steady flow of pedestrians as well, they lack adedicated footpath.

The problem is less severe when oneis talking about developed countries, but with modern technology and creative ideas, countries around the world can take certain measures to makes theirroads safer for pedestrians.

Let us now take a closer look at how one can make roads safer for pedestrians.

Construct dedicated footpaths

It is obvious that by constructing a dedicated path for pedestrian traffic, the authorities are separating the same from the vehicular traffic leading to fewer chances of a mishap and subsequent injuries or fatality. It is also recommended to install safety railings or barriers designed specifically for footpaths so that people are discouraged from walking on the road. Here, you can find out more information on how safety barriers can play a vital role in road safety.

Impose strict speed limits

In most of the traffic incidents, especially those where a pedestrian or pedestrians are involved, the reasonbehind the same often surfaces to be an over-speeding vehicle through the congested area. In order to lower the risk of injury or to nullify the chances of fatalities in road accidents, it is best to impose strict speed limits both within the city as well as on the highways.

On top of the information mentioned above, authorities can abide by the following tips for best results:

  • Places, crossings, and blocks that are notorious for accidents should be equipped with speed traps that will compel drivers to keep their speed low. The recommended speed limit in such areas is 20 miles per hour or 30 kilometers per hour. Intersections known for high percentages of side impacts among cars and pedestrian traffic recommended speed limit should be 30 miles per hour or 50 kilometers per hour.
  • Roads that are known for their high chances of a front impact between a car and a pedestrian should have a strict speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour or 45miles per hour

Make the best use of diagonal crosswalks

It is best to build pedestrian crossings in a diagonal fashion. In that way, vehicular traffic will be kept from blindspots which is the major contributor when it comes to impacts between cars and people in crossings. It is best to come up with a design for the crossing where all vehicular traffic comes to a halt so that pedestrians out more from all directions, all at once. It is often termed as a pedestrians cramble, which is popular in countries like Japan.

Apart from the tips mentioned above, other changes that can make a road safe by many folds are reprogrammable lights that give the pedestrian traffic a head start when they want to cross an intersection. One can construct roads in a way where the same narrows down or barriers a crossing so the vehicles are forced to cut their speed. These are aptly termed as ‘bottlenecks’. In that way, they can come to a complete stop out more approach the crossing.