The Courtesy Pole Initiative

The Courtesy Pole Initiative

There’s a new idea on the horizon for crosswalks. The two new features: extension of the white zebra striping up the wheelchair ramps, and placement of identically striped Courtesy Poles.

At each end of a crosswalk the zebra striping is to extend beyond the edge of the traversable roadway all the way to the adjoining Pole. For each direction of vehicle traffic there is a Pole on each end of that crosswalk, including Poles in center islands. The striped Poles are 6 to 7 feet tall to provide visibility to approaching drivers as they assess the intersection from a distance.

The current State crosswalk definition includes the zebra striping ONLY across the roadway. This proposed graphic extension of the striping recruits the crosswalk ramps into the crosswalk concept.

The Protocol

There is a safety issue at modern crosswalks which leads to aggravating delays for both drivers and pedestrians. The following solution can be implemented at traffic-calmed intersections, or other areas of moderate traffic speeds. This is how it functions –

The pedestrian has two choices:

1) The pedestrian stands on the street side of the Courtesy Pole. Standing on the street side of the Pole informs drivers the pedestrian intends to cross the street immediately. A courteous driver would slow/stop to allow the pedestrian to cross.

This pedestrian position signals to drivers: I intend to cross the street now.
This pedestrian position signals to drivers: I intend to cross the street now.

— or —

2) The pedestrian courteously stands on the sidewalk side of the Courtesy Pole. Standing on the sidewalk side of the Pole informs drivers the pedestrian does not intend to cross the street immediately. The grateful driver is free to pass.

This pedestrian position signals to drivers: I'm willing to wait for traffic to clear prior to crossing.
This pedestrian position signals to drivers: I’m willing to wait for traffic to clear prior to crossing.

In practice, and to the drivers’ advantage, many pedestrians are reasonably willing to wait for traffic to clear before proceeding to cross. This protocol provides pedestrians a means to so inform drivers at a distance. Drivers do not have to guess a pedestrian’s intent. If the pedestrian stands on the street side of the Pole the driver knows (s)he is about to cross. A position on the other side of the Pole indicates there is no immediate intent to cross.

The benefit to pedestrians is one of safety. The protocol provides pedestrians a clear method to signal oncoming drivers of their intent to cross, or not, while in either case remaining safely off the roadway, out of harm’s way.

The modest Poles are of “breakaway” construction and reduce current environmental impact by providing the means to allow smoother traffic flow due to reduced braking and acceleration.

Kalaheo Ave., at the Kalapawai Market intersection, serves as the access/egress for our local Lanikai and Blue Stone communities. Crossing vehicular traffic at this intersection is the busy pedestrian path to/from Kailua Beach along Kailua Road. This active setting is an ideal location to demonstrate the effectiveness of the inexpensive Courtesy Poles, as shown below. No more drivers or pedestrians wasting time/energy trying to guess the other’s intent. Use of the Poles as described provides the efficient communication to quicken this human/vehicle interaction.

At the Kalapawai Market on Kalaheo, where beach pedestrians/visitors cross local vehicular traffic.
At the Kalapawai Market on Kalaheo, where beach pedestrians/visitors cross local vehicular traffic.

The continuous striping from the top of one Pole to the top of the other graphically defines the entirety of the included crosswalk as Poles, ramps and street. The logic of this design, and the wording on each Pole, will minimize the expense of public education. “Courtesy Poles explain themselves.”

See/Download the Courtesy Pole Pamphlet