PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALKS AT TRANSIT STATIONS

Crosswalks are the predominant form of increasing safety for pedestrians crossing a street. A clearly striped crosswalk provides guidance for pedestrians crossing the road and serves to alert drivers. A marked crosswalk is not mandatory at all intersections, but according to standard industry practices, one should be installed where vehicular volumes and the number of pedestrians crossing are sufficient to warrant one.

In August 2002, data were collected on the status of crosswalks near MBTA rapid transit stations. Most of the locations appeared to have sufficient crosswalks. There were some stations without any marked street crossings. These stations include Capen Street, Valley Road, Butler Street, and Cedar Grove on the Mattapan High Speed Line, and Shawmut on the Red Line. The surface Green Line stops at Summit Avenue and Warren Street on the B branch and St. Paul Street on the C branch also lacked adequate pedestrian crossings; these locations, which are considered transit stops, not stations, typically fall under the jurisdiction of local government, not the MBTA.

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