CREATING CURB EXTENSIONS GOAL

To protect pedestrians and bicyclists on the sidewalks of intersections by extending them and reducing the time and distance of crossing a street.

WHAT IS IT?

Curb extensions are traffic calming measures used to extend sidewalks at intersections and narrow roadways. They reduce the amount of time and distance a pedestrian or bicyclist has to spend crossing the street. Vehicle drivers can also better see pedestrians and bicyclists crossing since the extension aligns with the parking lane and does not prohibit visibility where it otherwise would without the extension.

Curb extensions are usually accompanied by no parking or stopping signs and with visual reinforcement such as painted road markings, barriers, bollards, or planters and benches. They are also paired with other traffic calming measures such as rumble strips or speed bumps.

They are usually implemented in downtowns, neighborhoods, and residential streets when necessary. Curb extensions have other purposes as well, where they can be used for bus bulbs (the area where a person waits to get on a bus) or implemented at midblock crossings (known as pinchpoints) to reduce the distance a person must cross. To read more, click here

Potential Conflicts

Similar to leading pedestrian intervals, unintended consequences may occur. Because curb extensions likely will reduce the flow of traffic by slowing it down and potentially partner with bulb outs (bus bulbs), drivers could become aggressive and potentially run red lights. This could create an unsafe environment for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the street and cause conflicts and congestion with traffic turning right onto the perpendicular street if there are vehicles in the middle of an intersection waiting to get through.

Cost

Low cost

Curb extensions cost from $2,000 to $20,000 per corner depending on design and site conditions including drainage.