More pedestrian crossings in Europe are failing safety tests, according to an FIA Foundation backed study covering 31 major cities across the continent.
The EuroTest report supported by the FIA Foundation and led by Italian automobile club ACI along with 17 partners across Europe called for improved design of pedestrian crossings and new safety systems to become more widespread.
Each year in Europe more than 8,000 pedestrians are killed in road accidents. Almost one in four deaths occur on a pedestrian crossing.
Overall, the results showed that 53 crossings out of 310 (one in 6) failed the test, achieving a “poor” or “very poor” rating. Last year one in eight crossings were below acceptable safety standards.
Despite the failings there is cause for some optimism with 60% of all the tested crossings rated positively, 14 “very good” top the list and a further 170 are rated as “good”.
The study which was published on 15 December, identified the best and worst pedestrian crossings in Europe. The safest crossings are to be found in Bratislava, London, Munich and Strasbourg. Bratislava’s Klemensova intersection Dostojevského rad was identified as the safest crossing in Europe with top ratings for accessibility and visibility both during night and daytime. The report said it had a very well designed layout, good lighting, excellent road marking and was well maintained.
London’s Charing Cross Road intersection was in second place and the Brunnstraße intersection Kreuzstraße in Munich was third ranked.
The worst crossings are to be found in Italy. Europe’s most dangerous crossing is the Milan’s Via Palestro near a popular city park exit, the report said. The Via Palestro crossing “completely failed” the test achieving negative ratings in all safety categories – particularly visibility during the day and night time and accessibility. During the assessment, inspectors noticed a driver parked in the middle of the crossing. Pedestrians also have to negotiate a 12 cm drop coming off the pavement.
Other poor performers were found in Naples, Croatian city Dubrovnik and Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation said: “We must learn from the experience of the best performers and work hard to make pedestrian crossings safer. As this European survey shows, far too many people are still being killed and injured while trying to cross the road safely.”
The report does point to some measures for improving safety. Some technological solutions have helped, particularly special systems adopted in Rotterdam for automatically detecting a pedestrian approaching the crossing and providing oncoming drivers with advanced visual warning. Rotterdam is praised for being the city with the safest crossings overall. Countdown device like those found in a few cities this year (Belgrade, Istanbul, Ljubljana, Rotterdam and Seville) would clearly help pedestrians to decide when to cross, the report says.
For the full results visit http://www.eurotestmobility.com/