Traffic engineers still rely on a flawed 1970s study to reject crosswalks like the colorful St. Louis | Streetsblog USA

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

When St. Louis decided not to maintain colorful new crosswalks that residents had painted, the city’s pedestrian coordinator cited federal guidance. A 2011 FHWA memo warns that colorful designs could “create a false sense of security” for pedestrians and motorists.

Shoddy, 50-year-old research is an obstacle to grassroots street safety efforts like this fleur-de-lis crosswalk in St. Louis. Photo: Rally St. Louis

That may sound like unremarkable bureaucrat-speak, but the phrase “false sense of security” is actually a cornerstone of American engineering guidance on pedestrian safety.

You’ll find the words “false sense of security” in Washington state DOT’s crosswalk guidelines too. The city of Stockton, California, makes the same claim. The list goes on.

What gives? Well, you can trace this phrase — and the basis of some engineers’ reluctance to stripe crosswalks — to one very influential but seriously flawed study from the 1970s.

Link: 

Traffic engineers still rely on a flawed 1970s study to reject crosswalks like the colorful St. Louis | Streetsblog USA

MoBikeFed comment: We have seen these crosswalk projects in action in St. Louis, and talked with some of the community organizers and organizations who have worked with community volunteers to raise funds and install the colorful crosswalks.

We shouldn't discount the benefits that happen when communities work together to take ownership of their own streets and intersections.

That is where real change to make a city friendlier and more accessible for walking and bicycling comes from.

That is a wellspring of support for real change that is a lot more powerful than high-contrast lines on the road.