Suitable lighting improves safety at pedestrian crossings, which need to be visible in various weather conditions and at all times of the day. It ensures the best conditions for drivers to understand the traffic situation and recognise the pedestrian’s silhouette, and makes pedestrians aware of their surroundings, the pedestrian crossing and approaching vehicles. The CIE gives recommendations and guidelines concerning the rules and levels for road lighting (including pedestrian crossings), as well as calculation procedures and methods of measurement. National standardisation bodies then convert these recommendations into local standards . At the international level, there is no harmonised definition for appropriate pedestrian crossing lighting and how to design it. However, existing regulations generally recommend a high level of contrast . They emphasise that pedestrians should be distinguished, mainly by the level of light intensity or the colour of the light.
Positive contrast solutions are favoured for pedestrian crossings illuminated by dedicated luminaires with asymmetrical light distribution . These luminaires have specific light distributions, adapted to the position of the luminaire, whether it is on the right or left side of the road and the direction of the traffic.
SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES APPLY GENERALLY:
- The horizontal illuminance on the pedestrian crossing should equal to 3 times the horizontal illuminance of the roadway at the edge of the crossing (but should be less than 4 times greater); - Horizontal and vertical illuminance calculation zones should extend over the full width of the roadway and the width of the pedestrian crossing, including waiting areas.
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