A stroll through the history of crosswalks
We all know that crosswalks help to regulate traffic and allow people to cross roads safely. And you definitely must have crossed a road on zebra crossings. But have you ever wondered why it is called a zebra crossing? Well, the term ‘zebra crossing’ did not appear until the 1920s. However, crosswalks were invented over 2000 years ago in the ancient city of Pompeii! Do you want to know what the old crosswalks looked like, and why they are called zebra crossings? Let us take you on a stroll through the history of crosswalks!
Crosswalks from the ancient times
The first crosswalk was created in the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy. These crosswalks were constructed using raised blocks on the road. The pedestrians walked on the blocks without their feet touching the road. The crosswalks helped connect two streets and even allowed horse-drawn carts to pass. The ruins of these crosswalks can still be seen near Naples in Italy!
The first modern crosswalk
The first modern crosswalk and the first traffic light appeared in London in 1868. John Peake Knight, a railroad engineer, was the man behind the invention. He attached red and green lights to a semaphore arm to direct traffic on a busy road. These arms were lowered manually by a policeman. Unfortunately, one of the lights exploded in 1869, killing the officer-in-charge of the semaphore arm. This tragic event halted the use of crosswalks until zebra crossing was introduced!
The advent of zebra crossing
Accidents kept increasing in the United States and the United Kingdom due to lack of proper traffic rules. Both the countries experimented with various crosswalk designs to reduce these accidents and ensure pedestrian safety. In 1931, an extensive experiment was carried out in England where pedestrians were allowed to cross roads on the crosswalk designs that were submitted. A British politician visiting a trial crossing one day noticed the black and white patterns and dubbed them ‘Zebra crossings,’ which is how the name came to be!
Finally, after experimenting with various designs, the black-and-white strip design proved to be the most effective. Because of its colour combination, drivers could see it from far and slow down their vehicles before approaching the crosswalk. Eventually, zebra crossing was accepted by various countries and became a norm all over the world in 1951!
Emerging 3D crosswalks
Crosswalks have evolved and become more technologically advanced over time. You can now see 3D crosswalks in some places too. The painted crosswalk will appear to be raised due to an optical illusion, forcing drivers to slow down when they see the crosswalk. This innovative approach to reducing accidents has been implemented in Germany, China, the United Kingdom, India and the United States of America. Countdown timers are also used in many countries to alert pedestrians and motorists when the signal will change.
Crosswalks come in various shapes and colours too. A town in Spain, for example, has crosswalks with polka dots instead of stripes! It’s called the cow crossing to emphasise the town’s reliance on cows. Hong Kong has a yellow and black-patterned crosswalk. Can you guess what it's called? It's Tiger crossing! In Australia, zebra crossing is on top of a flat hump. They are called wombat crossing, inspired by the marsupials!