Painted Safety Zones

A pedestrian safety zone is a painted buffered curb-side space between the sidewalk and moving vehicles. Their footprint resembles a bulb out, helping to emphasize that the space should not be treated as part of the roadway.

As a low-cost, easily-implemented treatment, painted safety zones enhance pedestrian safety by (1) Improving line of sight between pedestrians and motorists and (2) Providing motorists with visual cues that encourage careful maneuvering near pedestrians. Painted safety zones do not extend the sidewalk, as pedestrians still wait to start their crossing at the existing curb line. However, their future conversion to concrete bulbouts will provide all the benefits of a wider sidewalk.