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No green crosswalks for Stevens Point
STEVENS POINT – The city is no longer considering green crosswalks as a way to improve safety at the intersection of Division and Franklin streets.
City staff discussed the idea as a next step toward improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists at the heavily traveled intersection. The goal, public works director Scott Schatschneider said, was to provide a visual reminder for drivers on the four lanes of Division Street that people may be traveling along Franklin Street on foot.
The move would have been one in a series of safety measures recently employed by the city at the intersection, including turning off the electronic message board outside the nearby fire station and removing unnecessary visuals that could distract drivers.
But after learning it would cost $11,000 to paint the crosswalks lime green, Schatschneider said his department will not pursue that.
"We had gotten an idea on cost before we would even pursue anything, so it obviously came back very cost prohibitive," he said. "We're going to look at different ideas."
Schatschneider said he also learned that green could not be used as a traffic control device under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, published by the Federal Highway Administration to define the standards used by road managers across the country.
Only the colors yellow and white can be used to color pavement for traffic control purposes, according to a 2013 memorandum by the FHA.
Sari Lesk can be reached at 715-345-2257 and email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter as @Sari_Lesk.