In last week's two snowstorms, snowplows took out a number of "zebra strips" — the small bumps that city officials placed around corners in Del Ray and the West End to slow down turning cars.
The zebra stripes will be returning.
The bumps were installed in 2021 and are meant to replace flexi-posts around the city. The intention is to keep pedestrians safer in the painted areas and keep cars from cutting corners and driving across areas meant for pedestrians. The zebra stripes are less visually jarring than the plastic posts.
Snowplows took out some of the zebra stripes in last week's storm, leaving unsafe conditions where they had been installed.
The zebra stripes are less expensive and easier to install than actually bumping out the curb and are significantly less expensive than a full new curb built-out, said Hillary Orr, Deputy Director of Transportation & Environmental Services. "The design on Commonwealth used paint and other materials to be able to more quickly install safety improvements — and test them — before funding could be identified to build out the curbs. Many cities are taking this approach," she explained.
So will the curbs eventually be expanded?
"I would say that right now we are installing as many safety improvements as we can but also focusing on equity and high crash areas for how we prioritize funding for locations where we do full build of these improvements. We know that curb extensions are a benefit and increase safety, but they are costly and we need to prioritize resources in the locations where they will have the most impact," Orr said.
Expect repairs in the coming weeks from snowplow damage.