Pedestrian crossings (Europe) edit
Nearly every country of Continental Europe is party to (though has not necessarily ratified) the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968), which says of pedestrian crossings: 'to mark pedestrian crossings, relatively broad stripes, parallel to the axis of the carriageway, should preferably be used'.[1] These stripes are normally white, but in Switzerland they are yellow.[2]
Furthermore, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968) states that pedestrians should use pedestrian crossings when one is nearby (§6.c) and prohibits the overtaking of other vehicles approaching crossings, unless the driver would be able to stop for a pedestrian.[3] The 1971 European supplement to that Convention re-iterates the former and outlaws the standing or parking of vehicles around pedestrian crossings. It also specifies signs and markings: the blue/white/black sign (pictured), and that the minimum width recommended for pedestrian crossings is 2.5 m (or 8-foot) on roads on which the speed limit is lower than 60 km/h (or 37 mph), and 4 m (or 13-foot) on roads with a higher or no speed limit.[4]
In France, it is not mandatory that crosswalks exist. However, if there is one less than 50 meters (55 yards) away, pedestrians are obliged to use it.[5]
In the east of Germany, including Berlin, the unique Amplemännchen design for pedestrian lights are widely used. These signals originated in the former East Germany and have become an icon of the city and of ostalgie – nostalgia for East German life. A study has shown they are more effective than Western-style icons.[6]
- ^ "Article 29". Convention on Road Signs and Signals (PDF). United Nations Treaty Series (in English, French, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish). Vol. 1091. Vienna. 8 November 1968. p. 27 – via United Nations Treaty Collection.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Mazzone, Francesco (25 November 2008), International cooperation to improve the safety of European pedestrian crossings (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-29
- ^ Convention on Road Traffic (PDF) – via unece.org
- ^ Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968; European Agreement Supplementing the Convention; and Protocol on Road Markings, Additional to the European Agreement (PDF), ECE/TRANS/196, United Nations Publication, 2006
- ^ Code de la route, article R412-37
- ^ "Go ahead: Bring back East Germany's little traffic light man, say". The Independent. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2023-06-18.