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Subcommittee directs staff to craft 5-year plan for high-visibility crosswalks and stop bars after Vision 0 testimony
Summary
After presentations from Street Transportation staff and public commenters, the subcommittee voted to direct staff to return with a multi-year plan to expand high-visibility crosswalk markings and stop bars, with neighborhood engagement and Vision 0 participation; the motion passed unanimously among present members.
The Transportation Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee on June 18 instructed Street Transportation staff to return with a phased, multi-year plan to expand high-visibility crosswalk markings and stop bars across the city, following a technical briefing and public comment from Vision 0 advocates.
Brandy Kelso of the Street Transportation Department and traffic engineer Brianna Velez presented the department’s current pavement-marking standards, citing the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and Arizona Department of Transportation adoption. Velez explained that Phoenix uses transverse (two-line) markings at many signalized intersections and ladder-style (‘‘continental’’) high-visibility markings at midblock crossings, and that the department has converted most arterial midblock crossings to ladder-style markings since instituting pedestrian-safety work in 2018.
The presenters described stop bars (stop lines) as optional under MUTCD guidance, typically installed where engineering judgment shows benefit — for example, where visual obstructions or a high volume of pedestrians exist. Velez provided inventory and cost figures: the city has about 1,200 signalized intersections and roughly 100,000 stop-controlled intersections; converting a single transverse crosswalk to a high-visibility ladder-style marking costs roughly $3,000–$6,000 depending on width, and adding a stop bar costs about $1,000. The department estimated converting all four legs at a six-lane signalized intersection to ladder-style markings with stop bars would cost about $28,000, and applying that configuration to all 1,200 signalized intersections would be on the order of $33,600,000 — a sum that does not include any pavement rehabilitation costs required before thermoplastic markings can be installed.
Public commenters, including Ed Hermas, chair of the Vision 0 Street Safety Committee, and petition filer Nicole Rodriguez, urged the city to adopt high-visibility crosswalks and stop bars more broadly and faster, saying federal guidance and research show safety benefits. Hermas cited a study he summarized as finding high-visibility crosswalks can reduce pedestrian crashes by up to 42% and that stop markings can reduce crashes by up to 25%.
Councilmembers directed staff to return with a plan that includes a timeline, phasing, cost options, Vision 0 advisory-committee participation, neighborhood engagement and options tied to paving schedules. Councilwoman Pastor moved the direction; Councilwoman Hodge Washington seconded. The subcommittee voted in favor: “All in favor, say aye,” and the ayes carried. Legal counsel and staff clarified that currently the installation of thermoplastic markings requires pavement in good condition, which is why the department often times installations with repaving projects.
The motion includes: treating current paved streets as grandfathered until their next repaving, prioritizing high-injury-network locations, school zones and HAWK or flashing-beacon crossings, presenting multiple implementation options (including a repaving-tied phased approach and an accelerated option with estimated funding needs), and returning to the subcommittee with the recommended plan by November.
