Continuous sidewalk or Raised pedestrian crossings – also known as 0-grade crosswalks – provide a designated route across vehicular roadways where the pedestrian walking surface is raised above the surface of the roadway. The surface of the pedestrian walkway is at the same level, or close to the same level, as the sidewalks that provide access to the pedestrian crossing. As such, pedestrians can cross the roadway without encountering curb ramps. As vehicles have to “bump over” a raised pedestrian crossing, such crossings can act as traffic calming devices.
The first known uses of this treatment in Canada were in the Town of Canmore, Alberta in 2016 and the City of Vancouver in 2018. The City of Nanaimo has also adopted the practice incorporating bike lanes into these structures.
In Canada, there is no technical guidance on the installation of Continuous sidewalks however, the Transportation Association of Canada has published a “>guidance briefing to help inform qualified practitioners on further research in determining the effectiveness of these structures.
A raised pedestrian crossing can be used at mid-block crossings and intersections. If used at intersections, the vehicular roadway is typically raised throughout the entire intersection.
As with any pedestrian crossing, the safe walking route across the vehicular roadway must be clearly delineated on the road surface using pavement markings, such as high-contrast dashed lines or striping. It’s also critical to use an attention TWSI across the entire width of the pedestrian entry points onto the crossing. This will ensure that people impacted by blindness can identify the transition from the sidewalk to the pedestrian crossing. Where these traffic structures are deployed, marked bollards can serve to orient pedestrians with blindness as to the safest line of travel across an intersection. Further information can be found in the section on tactile walking surface indicators.
Ensure to provide line markings on the road surface to identify where vehicles should stop when the pedestrian crossing is being used.
Further research is required to ensure that people living with sight loss are able to adequately detect when they are entering an intersection. Due to the absence of slopes, maintenance, especially in winter months will be essential.
