Side road zebra crossings needed on UK streets

New research by YouGov has revealed that 29 per cent of pedestrians have been hit by a car or suffered a near miss at a side road. The research was commissioned by Living Streets, which alongside national transport organisations, motoring bodies and charities, has issued a joint statement asking national government to authorise the use of zebra markings on UK side roads.

The national call for action comes as Greater Manchester publishes new evidence showing that zebra markings on side roads lead to drivers giving way 30% more than where there is no marking. The city-region is asking for permission to roll out a large-scale trial of zebra markings at side roads.

250 million car journeys in Greater Manchester alone are less than 1km

Over 3/4 of parents said this would make them more like to walk with their kids to schools

So, really hope the evidence will lead to us being able to conduct large scale trials.👇 pic.twitter.com/f8qhUltLfo

— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) November 7, 2021

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Additional YouGov polling data revealed 76 per cent of parents of 4-11-year-olds would feel safer about their child walking to school (or allowing them to walk independently) if there were zebra crossings on side roads.

The latest National Travel Survey shows that just 47 per cent of 5–16-year-olds in England walk to school, down from 70 per cent in the 1970s.

The installation of zebra crossings can cost anywhere between £40,000 and £100,000+. However, the proposed 'paint-only' side road zebra markings do not use expensive Belisha beacons or zigzags and are in common use across the world to give greater priority to pedestrians when crossing quieter roads. The crossings typically cost around £1,000.

A report conducted by the TRL (Transport Research Laboratory), recommends that evidence on side road zebra crossing gathered in Greater Manchester is sufficient to warrant national government amending the regulations (Traffic Signs and Regulations Guidance Document) to allow large-scale, long-term trials.

Pop-up zebra crossings

We're great fans of 'informal' zebra crossings. When we were approached by a group of parents in London whose request for a zebra crossing at a road traffic collision black spot outside their local infant school had been turned down on grounds of cost, we went about building one ourselves as cheaply as possible.

The result was a pop-up zebra crossing that could be erected in less than two minutes. And with no need to consider drainage, the excavation of existing pavement, disposal of material, new kerbing and paving, anti-skid surfacing, road markings, traffic signs, electrical connections and pillars, the total cost came to a fraction of the £114,000 quoted by the Highways Agency.

Faced with coverage of the campaign in the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and Metro newspapers and on numerous radio stations, the local authority quickly installed the much-needed real zebra crossing.

Ethical cover

Not only are we ethical, we campaign for sustainable transport. Sometimes that means protesting until a school gets the zebra crossing they've been refused or running roadshows to encourage people out of their cars, or fixing bicycles for free. We also launched Green Transport Week and helped establish Car Free Day and Twenty's Plenty to name just a few.

We've been campaigning for sustainable transport in this way for over 30 years with the help of people like you. Supporting this work is easy - you simply have to take out cycle insurance breakdown cover or mobility scooter insurance and we take care of the rest. We provide an excellent level of cover while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

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