The characteristics of pedestrians in the area (e.g. children, elderly, disabled people) should be considered when determining the appropriate intersection form and control type.
High level layout and design features relevant to pedestrians include:
- Intersection size and layout should reflect the location, and travel demands of the different users. However, in all situations they should be simple, intuitive and predictable.
- Intersections are important nodes in the street network. Not only will they be catering for people travelling through, they may, in urban and suburban centres, also allow for activity on the footpath. Appropriate space needs to be provided for these activities.
Intersection crossings for pedestrians should meet the same principles as midblock crossings. In particular, the crossing points should be located on pedestrian desire lines and be designed to minimise crossing distances for pedestrians. This is particularly relevant for children, elderly and disabled people.
PNG: Crossing design principles
Other considerations specific to intersections include:
- There should be separate crossings for each direction at a corner and clear sight distance
- Crossings should be located to direct pedestrians across the roadway rather than into the intersection (except at signalised intersections where Barnes Dance phasing operates)
- The kerb crossings should be in the direct line of the pedestrian through route. Where this is not possible, environmental or tactile cues should guide people to the crossing point
- The kerb should be perpendicular to the through route
- There should be sufficient space for pedestrians to wait to cross without encroaching into movement paths or areas used for other activities both at the kerbside and also within any median islands.
- Private property activities should not be permitted to reduce the footpath width required for the area or to cause the accessible path of travel to be illegible
Kerb ramp locations
Individual kerb ramps must be provided for each pedestrian crossing movement that is catered for at the intersection which is normally across each leg an in urban situation. There should be at least one metre of full height kerb between ramps to minimise a tripping hazard where pedestrians fail to see the short section of kerb. Care should be taken to provide tactile ground surface indicators (TGSI) using the references below.
PNG: Designing for blind and low vision people
RTS14 - Guidelines for facilities for blind and vision impaired pedestrians [PDF, 1.6 MB]
General kerb ramp design details for pedestrians are provided in the Crossings section.
PNG: Kerb ramp design
