The ADAC Hesse-Thuringia examined 146 pedestrian crossings in Frankfurt, Hanau, and Kassel. The result: 32 percent of the zebra crossings had defects, while 68 percent were rated as good and safe. The situation is particularly critical when parked cars obstruct the view.
At 14 percent of the crossings, the view was so severely restricted by illegally parked vehicles that approaching drivers would not have been able to see a child in time. In Frankfurt, this was the case at 19 percent. The ADAC is calling on the cities to step up enforcement against illegal parking and to ensure clear sight lines through no-parking zones, central islands, and widened sidewalks.
Another issue is very wide roadways: 20 percent of the zebra crossings forced elementary school children and people with walking or visual impairments to take overly long routes because protective central islands or refuge areas were missing. In Hanau, an especially high number of crossings were longer than 8.50 meters. Curb ramps were also often absent, and only a quarter of the crossings had tactile guidance systems for the visually impaired.
Source: www.faz.net
