Zebra Crossing

Since I moved to Providence, I’ve admired its beautiful network of zebra crosswalks. Unlike the cities in Ontario where I have spent time, it’s commonplace in Providence to have crosswalks without any accompanying stop signs or traffic lights. Instead of these rigid systems, Providence relies on a mix of legal protections and the self-regulation of drivers and people on foot.

A Survey of Zebra Crosswalks in Providence

Walking across Federal Hill and Downcity to school every day, I have noticed that drivers are more aware of the presence of pedestrians, more willing to yield to them than in other cities—not only at crosswalks—and therefore pedestrians are much bolder too.

At the meeting place of the zebra crosswalk, drivers and pedestrians share a subtle, elegant social exchange: the driver accelerates or decelerates, the pedestrian hesitates or walks with confidence, and both read each other. Neither have to wait for a machine to tell them what to do, both get where they need to go faster, and both become more attentive to one another out of necessity.

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