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PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AT ROUNDABOUTS

Location
Coloured surfacing
Detection
- vehicle
- pedestrian
Equipment to assist visually impaired
Lighting
Road signs and the visually or mobility impaired
Photos

CROSSING LOCATION

Use signalised crossings
On exit, not more than 20m from roundabout
On exit, taper should be complete before crossing
On the entry, between 20 and 50m from roundabout

CROSSING LOCATION

Stagger the crossings
Pedestrians on central reserve look towards traffic they are about to cross
Control speed on exit from roundabout- exit deflection as opposed to "easy exit"?

COLOURED SURFACING

Coloured surface warns drivers of hazard ahead
Surfacing material should be a high friction material
If possible, define nationally what colour represents what hazard
Needs maintenance to refresh colour

VEHICLE DETECTION

1. Use above ground detection
2. No need to detect trapped vehicles as signals revert to vehicle green
   

PEDESTRIAN DETECTION

Simplest is push button giving fixed pedestrian timings
Newest equipment uses push-buttons and 2 types of pedestrian detector

1. Kerbside detector
   see pedestrians waiting to cross
   - if pedestrians leave, demand cancelled
   
   
2. On crossing detector
   extends crossing period between min and max times - just like vehicle actuation
   - short crossing period for fast/fit pedestrians
   - long crossing period for
   large numbers of pedestrians
   slow/disabled pedestrians
   

EQUIPMENT TO ASSIST VISUALLY IMPAIRED

"BLEEP & SWEEP" equipment
Tactile revolving cone
"Ticking boxes"
Tactile paving surfaces

TACTILE REVOLVING CONE

Bleeper gives intermittent noise during invitation to cross period
Second is intended to be localised to waiting area
Automatic control of sound output level
Located a little above head height
Intended to allow 2 or more adjacent crossings to operate without mutual interference
Difficult to set up and maintain

"TICKING BOXES"

Located in standard position under the standard "wait" light unit
Cone revolves during invitation period
Effective for both the visually impaired and the deaf
Avoids confusion between adjacent crossings
Technically best solution

TACTILE PAVING SURFACES

Emits an intermittent low-volume sound constantly when crossing green to traffic
Designed to guide the visually impaired to crossing control unit
Automatic volume control to match background noise level
Changes to "Cross now" noise during invitation period
Some questions about annoyance of constant noise to nearby residents/workers
Widely used in Australia and some European countries

LIGHTING AT PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS

Lighting should be good - i.e. uniform brightness
BRIGHT does not equal GOOD!
Brilliance of crossing lighting should be similar to roadway and surrounding area
Contrast to high light crossing can be obtained through different colour tone to lighting.

ROAD SIGNS & THE VISUALLY OR MOBILITY IMPAIRED

Keep signage well away from areas where pedestrians wait to cross
Large bollards can hide people in wheelchairs or children