By Briant Novinska-Lois
When we design streets primarily for people – recognizing instincts like how long someone will wait for a walk signal or where they’ll stand before crossing – small, affordable changes can make behavior more predictable and streets demonstrably safer for everyone. By shifting the focus away from cars and toward human-centered design, such as clear sightlines, comfortable waiting spaces, and safer crossing opportunities, we remove the need for people to dangerously negotiate vehicle-dominated systems to stay safe.
One study of over 3,000 intersections found that each additional 30 seconds of pedestrian wait time was associated with 23% higher odds of being struck by a vehicle traveling straight and 40% higher odds of being struck by a vehicle turning left. These relationships suggest an association between longer waits and riskier crossing decisions: as wait times increase, people walking appear more likely to accept small gaps in traffic to cross while cars still have the green light. By coordinating signals to shorten cycle lengths or by giving earlier walk phases, transportation agencies can prioritize people and reduce premature crossing attempts.
Another study indicated that affordable designs can influence where people choose to stand before crossing the street. Permanent curb extensions encouraged people to wait in the extended area closer to the road 84% of the time, satisfying their natural urge to see and be seen before crossing. Temporary curb extensions, made only of flexible posts and paint, caused a similar but smaller change: 40% of people moved closer to the road. In both cases, drivers yielded more frequently to people in or near crosswalks. These findings indicate that changing the curbline, even temporarily, deemphasizes vehicle space and nudges both people walking and driving into safer behaviors.
How else might it look if we began designing our streets for the needs and safety of people – treating cars more as guests and less as the primary residents? An easy, affordable way to start is again with paint: research shows that repeating geometric roadway markings encourage drivers to scan the street as they would naturally – as opposed to staring straight ahead – helping them spot people sooner. They can turn the pavement into a visual language, one that is human-centered and prioritizes the safety and comfort of people on the street over the cold, and dangerous, arithmetic of vehicle throughput.
Rather than fighting human nature, transportation agencies can work with it by adopting approaches like Vision Zero that anticipate human error and design to minimize its consequences, instead of relying solely on compliance or enforcement; signal timing, curbline changes, and pavement patterns can work together to align street design with how people actually behave, creating forgiving streets that reduce the severity and likelihood of crashes. When public spaces are designed not around cars, but around how people are inclined to interact with and move through the world, the safest way to navigate the street will be what feels most natural.
Photo credit: Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels. License.