Raised medians have been proven to provide safety benefits to pedestrians when compared to flush (at street grade) medians and are therefore preferred as a safety measure at pedestrian crossings. Medians are generally used to divide traffic streams, such as in where the midblock median separates two-way traffic and enables the pedestrian to cross one direction of traffic at a time. Channelization islands between turning lanes and through lanes can also act as refuge islands. A two-way center turn lane is not a raised median as it cannot provide safe refuge for crossing pedestrians.

To improve pedestrian safety, refuge islands should be considered where street crossing distances are four travel lanes or greater. See in for further detail on application with respect to traffic volumes and speeds. Medians and refuge islands also reduce the speed of left turning movements at intersections which can also improve pedestrian safety where they are exposed to left-turning traffic.

Though they provide refuge, median islands should not be used to allow for traffic signal phasing that breaks the pedestrian trip into two phases. Pedestrians should be staged in the median at signalized intersections only on boulevard sections with wide medians that would add excessive pedestrian clearance interval. Where pedestrians are staged in the median, additional pedestrian signal heads and pushbuttons must be installed in the median. For locations with RRFB or pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB), refuge islands may be used to create two-stage crossings.

Median Width:

To function as a refuge (i.e., a place where pedestrians may stop to await a gap in traffic or a signal indication before completing their crossing), a raised median with a pedestrian access route cut through the island at a level flush with the roadway surface must be at least 6-ft wide, exclusive of the width of the curbs. An 8-ft or 10-ft median island width is desirable to provide additional clearance for wheelchairs and bicycles and to better accommodate groups of pedestrians. Length: At midblock locations, the minimum length of the median refuge is 25-ft. Advance lane tapers may be required to warn approaching motorists of the physical median following the guidance of the and .

Accessibility:

See .

Crosswalk:

It is recommended that the cut-through for a median refuge be the full width of the crosswalk in the direction of pedestrian travel. The minimum width of a cut-through for a median refuge is 5-ft. Crossings through a median can be angled so pedestrians can see and be more aware of traffic on the roadway they are about to cross.

At an intersection crossing, a “nose,” or curbed edge, that extends past the crosswalk toward the intersection is recommended to separate people waiting on the crossing island from motorists, and to slow turning motorists. The recommended minimum nose length is 2-ft.

Medians and refuge islands can provide additional space for warning signs or beacons at multi-lane pedestrian crossings, increasing their visibility to approaching drivers.

At uncontrolled locations (intersection or midblock), designers may consider a Z-style PAR configuration within the median island. This configuration reorients the pedestrian to face oncoming traffic, creating staggered crosswalks on either side of the island. Islands should be at least 12-ft wide to accommodate an accessible route in both directions and maintain maneuverability and passing distance for pedestrians using mobility devices. When used along a shared use path alignment, the design should also consider maneuverability for bicyclists, including bicycles with trailers or long wheel cargo bikes. This treatment is most appropriate in rural and suburban areas.

Curb extensions are created by extending the sidewalk or curb line into the street at an intersection or mid-block crossing location in order to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and improve visibility at crossing locations.

Curb extensions are recommended on streets that have on-street parking and can be used selectively in locations with shoulders where shortened pedestrian crossings are desired. Curb extension installation on both sides of a crossing is preferred, but where curb extension installation on one side is infeasible or inappropriate (i.e., no parking lane or shoulder), this should not preclude installation on the opposite side.

The width of parking lane minus 1-ft of offset to the travel lane.

Length

: The minimum length of a curb extension must be the width of the crosswalk although it can extend farther to match a no parking limit approaching the intersection. The length of a curb extension can also vary depending on the intended use (e.g., stormwater management, transit loading, restrict parking, bike parking) and potential for sight line improvement.

In proximity to transit stops, curb extensions can present challenges with bus maneuverability where they must pull to the edge of the roadway in advance of, or after, the curb extension. In these locations, the curb extension should be designed to enable buses to easily navigate to the edge of the roadway or consideration should be given to allowing the bus to stop in the travel lane by incorporating the curb extension into the bus stop, creating a bus bulb.

The radii of the curb extension should be designed so that street-sweeping equipment can reach the entire curb face without leaving gaps where debris can collect. Designers should consult with local jurisdictions regarding the operating characteristics of their sweeping equipment. Landscaping within a curb extension should be limited to low-level plants that will not impact sight distance. shows an example of landscaping within a curb extension.

Curb extensions retrofitted onto a street can significantly alter drainage patterns. Drainage must be evaluated as part of the design of both full reconstruction and retrofit curb extensions.

A truck apron ( ) is a design strategy used to accommodate the turning needs of large vehicles while slowing the turning speeds of smaller vehicles by reducing the perceived actual radius. A truck apron is designed to be mountable by larger vehicles to accommodate their larger effective turning radius needs. The mountable surface encourages the most common vehicles, a passenger (P) or delivery vehicle (SU), to turn outside the apron at a slower speed by design, thereby decreasing their effective turning radius.

Truck aprons are applicable where slower vehicle turning speeds are a priority. They may be used at corners of standard intersections, as part of a channelization island, or as part of the central island of a roundabout. Truck aprons may be used at corners and islands that have either controlled or stop and yield condition vehicle movements. Truck aprons can be installed with corner reconstruction, or in a retrofit condition. When they are installed as a retrofit, or when a gap is left between the mountable curb and the curb face to facilitate surface drainage, they are called truck pillows.

Color

: The apron’s color should be easily distinguishable in contrast with the surrounding roadway and sidewalk.

Height

: A truck apron/pillow should incorporate a mountable section with a height between 2-in and 3-in to provide the desired traffic calming.

Accessibility

: The accessible route across the truck apron should be clear and obvious to pedestrians with slopes and grades that meet the design requirements for a crosswalk. The pavement texture and surface slopes at this location should be smooth and meet accessibility standards. While texture is appropriate in other mountable portions of the apron, where the accessible route cuts through, the texture should be discontinued for the portion of the accessible route. Crosswalks should be marked up to the detectable warning surface through the truck apron to clearly distinguish the intended path of travel and have it to be recognized as part of the street. The detectable warning must be located behind the truck apron at the sidewalk.

The presence of a higher volume pedestrian or shared use path crossing should be considered as a condition for truck apron installation, especially in an area where drivers may be starting to accelerate, such as a freeway onramp.

Sight lines between crossing pedestrians and drivers are essential for safety as are slower motorist approach speeds where they must stop and yield to crossing pedestrians. Placing pedestrians at a higher elevation through the intersection can make them more visible and slow the speeds of approaching motorists. This is especially important at locations where greater numbers of children or people using mobility devices may be present as they are lower to the roadway and can be more difficult to see and may have reduced ability to judge or react to approaching motorists.

Raised crosswalks continue the elevation of the sidewalk across a crosswalk in order to provide better visibility of and for pedestrians and to slow vehicle speeds in a manner similar to other vertical speed control elements.

Raised crosswalks are possibly applicable in urbanized areas on streets with speeds of 35mph or less. They are also applicable at roundabouts and channelized right-turn lanes between the curb and a triangular island where drivers may have a stop or yield condition.

Height:

The crosswalk should be raised approximately 3-in from the elevation of the roadway.

Width

: The table of the crosswalk should be at least 10-ft wide, allowing both front and rear wheels of a typical passenger vehicle to be on top of the table at the same time.

Approach ramp length

- The recommended length of the ramp up to the raised crosswalk is 8-ft.

Markings

- Crosswalk markings are recommended for the top of the raised crosswalk.

Accessibility

- The junction between the sidewalk and raised crosswalk should meet all applicable accessibility standards for crosswalks and curb ramps.

When designing a raised crosswalk, several other elements should be considered. These include:

Raised intersections are those where the elevation of the entire center of the intersection is raised. Similar to speed humps and other vertical speed control elements, they reinforce slow speeds and encourage motorists to stop and yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk, while improving visibility for pedestrians and drivers. Crosswalks are typically placed on top of the raised area.

Raised intersections are applicable in urban areas and towns with higher volumes of pedestrians, at minor intersections, on streets with speeds of 35 mph or less. They may be used at controlled or uncontrolled locations.

Accessibility

- The junction between the sidewalk and raised crosswalk should meet all applicable accessibility standards for crosswalks and curb ramps.

Drainage

- The presence of raised pavement can significantly alter the drainage characteristics of a street. Drainage must be evaluated as part of the design of raised crosswalks and intersections.

Raised intersections may have different pavement material to bring attention to the intersection. Ensure that materials within crosswalks meet ADA surface requirements.

Motor vehicle speed is known to contribute to crash severity and likelihood of survival for bicyclists and pedestrians. Speed is also a known factor that influences motorist stopping and yielding rates. Lowering the posted speed of roadways can result in the lowering of the operating speeds and improve pedestrian safety and improve motorist compliance with pedestrian safety countermeasures. Refer to TxDOT’s for additional information on posted speed determination

Hardened centerlines are painted centerlines supplemented with vertical barriers at signalized or unsignalized intersections. Hardened centerlines change the path of travel through the intersection, creating tighter left turn radii which improves the visibility of pedestrians in the crosswalk and also reduces turning speed.

Hardened centerlines are applicable in retrofit situations where the intersection has not been otherwise designed to slow turning vehicles and appropriately align them to provide drivers clear sightlines of crossing pedestrians.

Hardened centerlines should implement the following design parameters:

Materials

: Materials for hardened centerlines should be sturdy, stable materials, such as plastic bollards and turning wedges. Refer to for more information. Materials must be listed on the Material Producer List. Install products in accordance with manufacturer's specifications.

Accessibility

: Hardened centerlines must not impede pedestrian crossings. Include cut-outs to provide a clear path of travel.

The use of hardened centerlines should decrease over time as intersections are built to principles with pedestrian safety in mind or are wholly retrofit with more permanent materials.