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[tradephoric]

What is the longest continuous crosswalk at an intersection you've ever encountered or know about in America? 

Here's one on US 19 near Tampa that is quite long:


My question is referring to the longest crosswalk in America, but hopefully nobody can find one this long (this one is just outside Beijing):

[NE2]

Could there be one like this in America?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charris87/5885558560/
Not sure if it really qualifies as a crosswalk, more of a parallelwalk...

[Michael]

Not exactly a crosswalk, but I know of two long highway crossings:

There's a pair of bridges that cross I-690, an offramp, and State Fair Blvd for pedestrians to walk between parking lots and the NY Fairgrounds (there's also a shuttle bus, which uses a stoplight to cross I-690).  According to Wikimapia, the bridge across I-690 and the offramp is 675 feet long, and the bridge across State Fair Blvd is 456 feet long.  The entire walkway is 1633 feet from the edge of the parking lot road to the edge of the curb in front of the fairgrounds.

There's another bridge in Rochester over I-490 and a ramp of the NY 15 interchange.  The bridge itself is 347 feet long.  The entire crossing including approaches is 776 feet long.  At the north end of the crossing, there is a crosswalk across a parking lot entrance, and that brings the length to 853 feet.

[Steve]

Another view of the Chinese one: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/25695660.jpg

[tradephoric]

The funny thing about that Chinese crosswalk is the intersecting roads are perfectly perpendicular.  There's no weird angles taking place that could help explain the long crosswalk. 

Here's an example of a crosswalk in Metro Detroit that only crosses 6-lanes but the angle of the intersections pushes the length of the crosswalk up:

[Steve]

I've been trying Long Island - Sunrise Hwy (27), Hempstead Tpk (24), no luck so far.

[tradephoric]

Still haven't broken 200 feet, but here's an intersection in Orlando that's 196 feet long at the intersection of CR 423 & Town Center:

[tradephoric]

Here's one a shade above 200 feet long.  Again in Orlando at the intersection of Kirkman Rd & Carrier Drive.

[tradephoric]

Orlando is the most dangerous city for pedestrians according to Transportation for America.  Other Florida cities including Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville are all in the top 5 and the natural question becomes why are Florida cities so dangerous for pedestrians?  

Here's a comparison of crossing lengths in Orange County, FL to Oakland County, MI; two counties that have similar populations and areas.  This is just a rough comparison and includes some long crosswalks in adjacent counties to Orange County.

Orange County, FL (crosswalks over 140 feet in length - 100 total)


Oakland County, MI (crosswalks over 140 feet in length - 3 total)


Other Florida cities have long crosswalk lengths as well.  I'm by no means an expert on pedestrian safety but it seems that the longer a pedestrian is crossing the street the more likely something bad could happen.  There's a crosswalk that is 200 feet long in Orlando; taking nearly 60 seconds for a pedestrian to cross the street when walking 3.5 feet/sec.

County / Total ped fatalities / % of all traffic deaths that were peds / Fatality rate per 100,000 persons / 2009 population / % of population in poverty
Oakland   133   17.90%   1.1   1,205,508   8.20%
Orange   371   21.70%   3.7   1,086,480   12.70%

[Duke87]

I wouldn't really count those last two examples since they butt right up against a median - so there's a safe spot to stop in the middle.

[tradephoric]

Here's my top ten list of interesting and potentially dangerous pedestrian crossings in the Orlando area.  All crossings are at least 150 feet long.

#10.  Curry Ford Rd & Goldenrod Rd
A typical example of a major intersection in Florida with dual left turn lanes and a raised pedestrian refuge island.


#9. Altamonte Dr & Palm Springs Dr
Raised pedestrian island is present but crossing striped past it.


#8. Altamonte Dr & Douglas Ave
Crossing 10-lanes of traffic just west of I-4.


#7. Challenger Prky & Challenger Tech Dr
Pedestrians crossing Challenger Prky do so 30 feet back from the edge line of Challenger Prky.


#6. Altamonte Dr & US-92
Crossing 10-lanes of traffic including 2-slip lanes and a dual left turn lane.  Two small painted pedestrian refuges are present.


#5. Kirkman Rd & Conroy
A gas station at the NW corner and large housing complexes on the NE corner creating heavy pedestrian traffic at this long crosswalk.


#4. 423 & 33rd Street
An unusually long crossing to cross a minor sidestreet.  Painted refuge islands are present along this 165 foot hike.


#3. Co Rd. 526 & N. John Young Pkwy
Angled pedestrian crossing increasing the total length of the crosswalk.


#2. Semoran Blvd & S. Wkiwa Springs Rd
An angled pedestrian crossing with dual left turns at all 4-legs..


#1. Conroy Rd & Turkey Lake Rd
A crosswalk that is 165 feet long, angled, has dual right and dual left turn approaches, and has no pedestrian refuge present.

[Steve]

None of those are pedestrian refuges. They're traffic islands. PEdestrian refuges have to be created, and only in locations where there's enough room to safely store people.

[empirestate]

Orlando is the most dangerous city for pedestrians according to Transportation for America.  Other Florida cities including Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville are all in the top 5 and the natural question becomes why are Florida cities so dangerous for pedestrians?

Having been a pedestrian in Florida on many occasions, I'd submit that the state as a whole is pretty much a nightmare. Eight-lane high-speed arterials are everywhere, and sidewalks and crosswalks are often absent or have no appreciable buffer zone from the traffic, even in highly built-up suburban areas. Development density is extremely unfavorable for pedestrians; even places that are "next door" to each other can be a quarter-mile apart, and nothing seems to be usefully grouped.

Once while crossing College Parkway at Summerlin Road in Ft. Myers, I pressed the crossing signal button and got a walk sign. Right-turning traffic from Summerlin to College had a lit-up NO TURN ON RED sign, activated just for my crossing. Nevertheless I was assailed by a continuous stream of right-turning traffic across my path, which hadn't even stopped at their red signal (which would have been required even without the NTOR sign). I have, on many occasions, been treated with agape stares from drivers who did spot me, as though they would sooner have expected a giraffe than a pedestrian to enter their field of vision.

The pattern, on the whole, of road layout and development density in suburban Florida is extremely unappealing to me, for this reason among others.

[realjd]

Having been a pedestrian in Florida on many occasions, I'd submit that the state as a whole some suburban areas are pretty much a nightmare. Eight-lane high-speed arterials are everywhere, and sidewalks and crosswalks are often absent or have no appreciable buffer zone from the traffic, even in highly built-up suburban areas. Development density is extremely unfavorable for pedestrians; even places that are "next door" to each other can be a quarter-mile apart, and nothing seems to be usefully grouped.

FTFY. The whole state isn't like that, just some of the suburban areas. Bike lanes and sidewalks are common and well used in my area. It's not as walkable as an urban downtown area, but it's hardly like suburban Orlando either. I'm guessing from your post that you've never been to Miami Beach, downtown Orlando, Key West, or any of the rural areas in Florida.

[tradephoric]

County Hwy 865 & US41:


This signal in Bonita Springs, Florida runs a 200+ second cycle length even during the middle of the night.  I quickly came to disdain the signal operation while on vacation there last year.  Such long pedestrian crossings must definitely play a factor in why the cycle lengths are so long in Florida.

Long pedestrian crosswalks aren't only a safety hazard for pedestrians in Florida, they are also a nuisance for drivers when you're stuck at a 200 second cycle length at 2 in the morning.

[kphoger]

At least there are crosswalks/sidewalks.....
I was about to measure across the intersection of Cermak and Route 83 in Oakbrook, IL, then remembered that there are no crosswalks...or sidewalks.  I've been a pedestrian there before, so what the heck did I do?  I don't remember it being pleasant.

[NE2]

At least there are crosswalks/sidewalks.....
I was about to measure across the intersection of Cermak and Route 83 in Oakbrook, IL, then remembered that there are no crosswalks...or sidewalks.  I've been a pedestrian there before, so what the heck did I do?  I don't remember it being pleasant.

Technically every intersection where it's legal to walk has 'unmarked crosswalks'. They are legally similar (or the same, depending on the state) to marked crosswalks - e.g. vehicles must yield if you're crossing legally.

[kphoger]

This is true.  In Illinois law, even in the absence of sidewalks, the continuation through the intersection of the left curb line counts as an unmarked crosswalk.  FWIW, there is no provision for a T intersection with no sidewalks, which is to say that, if I'm walking on a street without sidewalks, and my street ends at a T intersection, there is no unmarked crosswalk to the other side according to Illinois law.  T intersections are only said to have unmarked crosswalks if there is a sidewalk that logically would extend across the intersection.

I would, in any case, rather have a 200-foot crosswalk than no sidewalk at all!  I used to casually know a blind couple who sometimes had to cross Butterfield Road near Yorktown Mall after getting off the bus (Oakbrook, IL, area again).  I can't remember exactly what intersection that was now, but they were very upset when the bus changed from dropping off at a business location to dropping off curbside.

[empirestate]

Having been a pedestrian in Florida on many occasions, I'd submit that the state as a whole some suburban areas are pretty much a nightmare. Eight-lane high-speed arterials are everywhere, and sidewalks and crosswalks are often absent or have no appreciable buffer zone from the traffic, even in highly built-up suburban areas. Development density is extremely unfavorable for pedestrians; even places that are "next door" to each other can be a quarter-mile apart, and nothing seems to be usefully grouped.

FTFY. The whole state isn't like that, just some of the suburban areas.

I wouldn't say you fixed it; perhaps made it equivalently vague. How about "suburban areas throughout the state"?

Bike lanes and sidewalks are common and well used in my area. It's not as walkable as an urban downtown area, but it's hardly like suburban Orlando either. I'm guessing from your post that you've never been to Miami Beach, downtown Orlando, Key West, or any of the rural areas in Florida.

I've been to the following:
Jacksonville, Palm Coast, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Destin, Niceville, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Orlando, Lakeland, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Fort Pierce, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miami, Miami Beach, and Belle Glade.

You're right that I haven't been to downtown Orlando or to Key West, but I have been to similarly compact and walkable areas (Delray Beach, downtown Fort Myers, and so forth). I don't deny that these places exist, but that doesn't dilute my experience in most of the other places I've listed.

What you should also understand is that I seldom have control over my destiny as to where in Florida I go or what kind of area I find myself staying in. The vast majority of the time, my efforts to avail myself of various necessities and services involve treks through these most unfriendly of pedestrian districts. Some areas are better than others, naturally, but the difficult ones seem to be spread more uniformly across this state than the other 48 I've visited. Yes, there are other challenges to being a pedestrian in, say, Alaska, or Wyoming, or at an Interstate exit in South Carolina, but Florida has been the most consistently challenging for the reasons at hand.

[realjd]

^^^
Fair enough. I saw you were from New York and made the incorrect assumption that your experience with the state had been limited trips to Disney and to Boca to visit aging grandparents.

The density may be hostile to pedestrians, but one thing you'll notice about Florida is that sidewalks are everywhere. That's unusual for much of the country, including my experiences with suburban New York (Long Island specifically). In the parts of LI that I've stayed, the roads were small and easier to cross, but you were walking in unmowed grass and dirt the whole way. Those 200+ foot crosswalks? In most of the country they don't even try along large roads like that from what I've seen.

One result of the low density is that, at least near me, the largest users of the sidewalks are bikes, not pedestrians on foot. Sidewalk biking is completely legal here (outside of the city of Orlando) and the sidewalks are usually at least 8 feet wide like a multi-use path to accommodate bikes. Bike lanes are becoming more common, but if both are present most people will bike on the sidewalks. Now I'm not debating the merits of biking in the lane vs. bike lanes vs. sidewalks, only making an observation.

[empirestate]

^^^
Fair enough. I saw you were from New York and made the incorrect assumption that your experience with the state had been limited trips to Disney and to Boca to visit aging grandparents.

I've entertained thousands of aging grandparents, but none of them my own.

I have a love/hate relationship with Boca...I've had the same bad pedestrian experience there as everywhere, but I've also had maple bacon coffee porter at the Funky Buddha. Of course, it was something like a $60 cab ride to get there, and I never left the city limits!

The density may be hostile to pedestrians, but one thing you'll notice about Florida is that sidewalks are everywhere. That's unusual for much of the country, including my experiences with suburban New York (Long Island specifically). In the parts of LI that I've stayed, the roads were small and easier to cross, but you were walking in unmowed grass and dirt the whole way. Those 200+ foot crosswalks? In most of the country they don't even try along large roads like that from what I've seen.

That's part of the surprise...there are sidewalks, and a fair number of pedestrian signals (though often on the wrong approach), and in some areas there are actually a fair number of pedestrians. It's the drivers' apparent unfamiliarity with them that catches me...as in my Ft. Myers example, where there was a special signal deliberately installed just for the presence of pedestrians, and yet it remained a foreign concept to the motorists. (That was right by Edison College; lots of students and workers can be found on foot there; there are even bus stops and whatnot.)

What I miss about the sidewalks is the buffer zone. I have no problem walking a mile and more to get lunch or go shopping, but it's disconcerting when there are those eight lanes of 55mph traffic brushing by. I noticed in Ft. Myers that as you approach the city center, buffer zones appear...but the sidewalks are frequently unusable because they also function as drainage canals. I never figured out why, given the predominant climate there, they didn't display better hydraulic engineering principles with respect to their streets and sidewalks...

As for suburban New York, of which Long Island is an extreme example, I too have always wondered about the lack of sidewalks and streetlights in these areas, which for some reason are seen as safer for children than cities that have those amenities...

[tradephoric]

What I miss about the sidewalks is the buffer zone.

To Empirestate's point, here's an example of a 9-mile section of road running through Tampa that has continuous sidewalk with no buffer zone.  This is a 6-lane boulevard that has speed limits of at least 45 mph in places.  If 9 miles of sidewalk are going to be designed with zero buffer zone, you're almost better off having no sidewalk at all.  Safe the money and allow pedestrians to stomp out their own dirt path... a dirt path that would likely form farther back from the road then the current sidewalk.   

Seminole Blvd/Missouri Ave between Bay Pines Blvd & Lakeview Rd.

[realjd]

What I miss about the sidewalks is the buffer zone. I have no problem walking a mile and more to get lunch or go shopping, but it's disconcerting when there are those eight lanes of 55mph traffic brushing by. I noticed in Ft. Myers that as you approach the city center, buffer zones appear...but the sidewalks are frequently unusable because they also function as drainage canals. I never figured out why, given the predominant climate there, they didn't display better hydraulic engineering principles with respect to their streets and sidewalks...

As for suburban New York, of which Long Island is an extreme example, I too have always wondered about the lack of sidewalks and streetlights in these areas, which for some reason are seen as safer for children than cities that have those amenities...

Other than Tampa, I haven't spent too much time on the west coast. I just looked up the area around Edison College on Streetview and see what you mean about no buffer zones - the sidewalks there butt up against the curb and are particularly narrow. This is more typical of what I'm used to seeing: http://g.co/maps/k6z6d

Contributing to the original discussion, each crosswalk at that intersection is around 160 feet long. I've crossed on foot and on bike and had no problems.

The west coast gets predominately midwestern snowbirds while we get mostly snowbirds from the northeast here on the east coast. There is a very noticeable difference in driving style over there than over here, especially in the winter. I've found that much of the midwest is particularly bad about sidewalks. They rarely exist outside of city centers and purely residential areas, and when they do exist they tend to be half crumbled and covered with leaves, snow, gravel, and dirt. When I moved down here from Indiana, it did take a while to train myself to be more aware for pedestrians at intersections. I had never even heard the rule that traffic at a marked mid-block crosswalk were required to stop/yield to a pedestrian trying to cross for instance. Maybe the retirees from the midwest just aren't used to looking for people at intersections the way people from the northeast are. Do you notice the same problem in Boca with people not seeing you trying to cross at an intersection? Maybe I live in the one suburban part of Florida that's less nasty for pedestrians.

[empirestate]

Do you notice the same problem in Boca with people not seeing you trying to cross at an intersection? Maybe I live in the one suburban part of Florida that's less nasty for pedestrians.

I would say Boca had a more equal proportion of motorists who noticed me and yielded to those who were surprised by me. The physical layout was still as challenging. (Part of the problem, of course, is that Florida has more and larger suburban areas than many other states. You get the same problem in other states, but more isolated.)

I feel that Fort Myers was the worst, but that's probably because I've spent the most aggregate time there (over a month, cumulatively), and I now routinely rent a car when I find myself deposited there.

[tradephoric]

I was about to measure across the intersection of Cermak and Route 83 in Oakbrook, IL, then remembered that there are no crosswalks...or sidewalks.  I've been a pedestrian there before, so what the heck did I do?  I don't remember it being pleasant.

I was fishing around to see intersection you meant and found this one on Cermak Road.  It's 205 feet long: