Pedestrian crossings

Improving the safety of pedestrian crossings on main roads and collector roads

In 2018, the City of Tampere investigated the safety of uncontrolled pedestrian crossings located on main and collector roads. The study examined 175 uncontrolled pedestrian crossings located on busy main and collector roads with traffic volumes exceeding 7,000 vehicles per day. The accident risks and improvement needs of the pedestrian crossings were assessed.

In the action plan drawn up for pedestrian crossings, the implementation of measures has been prioritized based on accident risk. The calculation of the accident risk at pedestrian crossings takes into account the number of users, accidents that have occurred, and nearby services such as schools.

Safety improvement measures may include traffic lights, speed reduction, shortening the crossing distance, and constructing underpasses. The planning of improvement measures for these locations has begun in order of urgency. The planning and implementation of these measures will take time. For this reason, the safety of the most urgent pedestrian crossings will be improved with quick measures such as speed display boards, speed limit reductions, and measures to improve the visibility of pedestrian crossings.

The city receives several requests each year to build new pedestrian crossings. New pedestrian crossings are built on a discretionary basis. There must be a sufficient number of users for a pedestrian crossing, and its location must be safe.

According to the Road Traffic Act, you can also cross the street without using a crosswalk: "Pedestrians must cross the roadway using a crosswalk if one is nearby. Otherwise, the roadway must be crossed perpendicularly and usually next to an intersection" (Tieliikennelaki 44§).

One of the issues examined in the pedestrian crossing survey was the necessity of existing uncontrolled pedestrian crossings on main and collector roads. If a pedestrian crossing has a low number of users and can be considered dangerous, one measure may be to remove the crossing. Sometimes there are several pedestrian crossings close to each other on a street section, in which case the possibility of removing some of the crossings is examined and safe conditions are ensured for the remaining crossings.

Pedestrian crossing guidelines

The City of Tampere is developing guidelines for assessing the need for both existing and new pedestrian crossings, as well as what constitutes a safe pedestrian crossing in different circumstances. The basic principle is that a pedestrian crossing must have a sufficient number of users and must be made as safe as possible.

Safety on the way to school

School routes vary greatly across the city, and we receive a lot of feedback about them, especially as autumn draws in. School routes often involve pedestrian crossings or the need for pedestrian crossings. The proximity of schools is taken into account in the design of pedestrian crossings. It is also important to identify the safest route to school from among the many different options, even if it is not always the shortest. The City of Tampere has produced information packages for schools on safe routes to school. Read more about safety on the way to school.

Safety requests

Safety requests are sent in the same way as traffic safety feedback and development suggestions.