Several pedestrian crossings in Flanders will get 'winged zebra crossings' this year, after successful tests in Bruges. The 'winged zebra crossings' are wider than regular zebra crossings, making the buffer between the pedestrians and the incoming traffic bigger, and keeping children out of the blind spot.
After the special crossings were successfully tested over last year on the Gistelse Steenweg in Bruges, the Agency Roads and Traffic will adapt the zebra crossings in different places in Flanders as well, reported Het Nieuwsblad.
The winged crosswalks are five metres longer than necessary in the opposite direction of travel and are primarily intended for blind spot accidents, mostly in the neighbourhood of schools. Truck drivers cannot see what is happening right in front of their trucks, which is extra dangerous if a group of children cross over.
An average of 50 blind spot accidents happen in Belgium every year, and over 200 pedestrians are injured crossing the road at a crossing place, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
