Para. 45 Sec. 9 StVO (Road traffic Regulations) is demanding for a careful examination of each zebra crossing that is being ordered. The Guidelines for Installing and Equipping of Zebra Crossings (R-FGÜ 2001) state the application range even more precisely. The Directives for the Design of Urban Roads (RASt 06) and the Notes for the Design of Roundabouts (2006) of the German Road and Traffic Research Association provide general recommendations for installing zebra crossings at roundabout crossing facilities. Therefore there is a contradiction between the road traffic regulations and the technical Directives. In the research project • accidents at crossing facilities at roundabouts with respectively without zebra crossings as well as at zebra crossing at sections of urban roads were analysed; • the traffic behaviour of vehicle drivers and pedestrians crossing was analysed; • the knowledge of traffic rules was investigated by interviews with vehicle drivers and pedestrians. In general, at the roundabouts very few accidents of pedestrians crossing happened. Neither zebra crossings nor crossing facilities without zebra crossing in general are safer. Many vehicles turning off at roundabout exits without zebra crossing keep driving when there is a pedestrian waiting. At zebra crossings, the traffic rules are highly accepted. The speeds of vehicles turning off were measured at the crossing facility when there were no inter-actions with pedestrians or cyclists. At the round-abouts without zebra crossings, there was a significant influence of the outside diameter as well as of the diameter of the island (plus an inner circle) on the speed. At diameters of the island plus inner circle around 15 metres, the average speed is 28 to 35km/h, at diameters around 25 metres the average speed is 22 to 32km/h. The knowledge of the traffic regulations for leaving or entering a roundabout is insufficient regarding pedestrians and car drivers. Zebra crossings at road sections that can be seen from a 100 metres distance and whose waiting areas can be seen from a 50 metres distance in each direction, can be operated more safely than zebra crossings with restricted visibility that cannot be easily discerned. Recommendations: * At roundabouts, the installation of zebra crossings should be checked in accord with the R-FGÜ. Blind or partially blind people who want to cross cannot get acoustic information on the direction of the vehicle, if it is either staying in or leaving the roundabout. Therefore the installation of a zebra crossing should be checked when vulnerable road users – as especially blind people – regularly cross a roundabout approach, independent of the number of these persons crossing. * The R-FGÜ should point out that waiting areas at the exit of a roundabout must be visible at a distance of 10 to 15m from the carriageway of the roundabout. Zebra crossings should be lightened at the entrance as well as at the exit of roundabouts. In the technical directives, it should be recommended that diameters of the circle island plus an inner circle of around 25 metres should be favoured when there is enough space. * Vehicle drivers as well as pedestrians should be informed about traffic rules at crossing. (Author/publisher)
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