Czestochowa crosses with confidence

Czestochowa tackles pedestrian safety with innovative crossing architecture 

As cities and regions around Europe emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, walkability is high on the agenda. Pedestrian infrastructure will be key to facilitating safe, healthy and sustainable travel across urban areas, supporting the recovery of the retail and hospitality sectors.

POLIS member, the Polish city of Czestochowa, has been enhancing the pedestrian experience in an incredibly innovative way. The city’s Municipal Road Administration has established three-dimensional horizontal marking of pedestrian crossings, in an effort to increase pedestrian safety. The markings create an illusion of elevation from the road, making the crossing far more visible to drivers- and walkers.

Such crossings, one of the first of their kind, is part of the "Hello Ice" programme, which encourages local governments to implement initiatives to improve the safety of pedestrians, with particular emphasis on children and young people.

The historic city, capital of the northern Sub-region of Silesian Voivodeship, has long been investing in safety and sustainability in an effort to counter rising personal car use. As the city has expanded as a leading business, science and cultural hub, its sustainable mobility services have grown too.

The measure comes amidst a growing recognition of the need to redesign urban streets around its citizens, creating safe and inclusive places for people to live and work.

Find out more about what POLIS members are doing to implement more pedestrian friendly streets, HERE!