- Department Home Page
- Community Planning
- Economic Development
- Environmental and
Transportation Planning - Housing
- Community Development Block Grant
- Lead-Safe Cambridge
- About the Department
- Popular Services
- Community Calendar
- Contact Us
- Demographics
- Forms
- Housing Services
- Maps
- Parks and Open Space
- Planning Board Agenda
- Publications
- Zoning Ordinance and Map
- Site Map
- About This Web Site
Use the Site Map to navigate
the site
Crosswalk Safety Improvement Program
Through the Crosswalk Safety Improvement Program, the City of Cambridge is making a variety of improvements to enhance community livability and pedestrian safety. Improvements are being implemented jointly by the Community Development Department, the Police Department, the Department of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation, and the Department of Public Works. This web page illustrates the kinds of improvements that are being made through this program.
Curb Extensions
When streets are redesigned, the City looks for opportunities to add curb extensions. Curb extensions are designed to do the following:
- Reduce pedestrian crossing distance
- Improve visibility for pedestrians and drivers
- Prevent illegal parking at corners
- Slow the speed of turning vehicles
Go
to an example of a Curb
Extension
Raised Crosswalks
Raised crosswalks make it safer to cross the street by bringing the roadway up to the level of the sidewalk at the crosswalk. They reduce vehicle speeds by acting as a speed hump (but are safer than old-style speed bumps that are seen in locations such as parking lots). They also help to make the crosswalk more visible and allow people to walk straight across the street without having to step down to the level of the roadway and then back up on the other side.
Go
to an example of a
Raised Crosswalk
Improved Crosswalk Markings
Improved crosswalk markings help to increase pedestrian safety by making pedestrian crosswalks more visible to motorists, especially at night and when it is raining. Crosswalk marking improvements being made by the City include repainting parallel line crosswalks as zebra crosswalks and outlining the edges of brick crosswalks.
Go
to an example of an
Improved Crosswalk Marking
Countdown Signals
Cambridge has installed a new kind of traffic signal that eliminates those problems. The new countdown signals tell people on foot how many seconds they have to cross before the light changes. These signals are being installed at intersections where large numbers of people cross and at places where there is a high number of elderly pedestrians.
Go
to an example of a
Countdown Signal
For More Information
For additional information about the Crosswalk Safety Improvement Program, contact Rosalie Anders, randers@cambridgema.gov, at 617/349-4604. The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.
Return to Pedestrian Programs
Return
to Environmental and Transportation Planning Division
Return to Community
Development Department home
