The Highway Bureau and experts on Thursday suggested redesigning a pedestrian crossing and shortening it at the spot where three children were hit by a car when crossing the road in Changhua County last week.
After a second inspection of the scene, bureau official Chen Chen-kang (陳禎康) said the pedestrian crossing should be aligned perpendicular to the direction of the traffic flow, as the current crossing is too long and oblique.
In addition, the corner where vehicles turn should be made smaller so there is enough space for pedestrians to wait and have a clearer view of traffic conditions, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of the Highway Bureau Changhua County Public Works Section
Chen added that the bureau is also mulling the creation of a Z-shaped crossing with a pedestrian island in the middle of the road, giving those crossing a place to pause if they are unable to complete the crossing in one sequence.
The third proposal, Chen said, involves implementing a Z-crossing while reducing the size of the intersection, so pedestrians do not have to walk as far to cross the road.
This would also involve installing a channelizing island, Chen said.
YouTuber Huang Yun-tsung (黃筠倧), nicknamed “Owl,” who has been focusing on road safety issues in Taiwan, also attended the inspection on Thursday.
Huang told CNA that the pedestrian crossing, pedestrian island and channelizing island should all be installed at the intersection to shorten the time pedestrians spend crossing the road.
Changhua County Councilor Lai Ching-mei (賴清美) said that the intersection where the children were hit often experiences heavy traffic, with many elderly people and children crossing it.
She said officials should consider the habits of people in rural areas and focus on improving lighting along the road rather than implementing a Z-crossing, which could make crossing the road even more complicated.
The accident happened when three children, all of elementary-school age, were hit by a car driven by a 73-year-old man without a driving license, on a pedestrian crossing in the county’s Shengang Township (伸港) at 6:21pm on Thursday last week, police said.
The two older siblings, both girls, sustained severe injuries, while their brother had bruises to his left foot, said the hospitals where the children were taken.
Both sisters are currently undergoing intensive care treatment, while the boy was discharged last week, hospital officials said.
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