Types of Pedestrian Infrastructure

Types of Pedestrian Infrastructure

CDOT sees every project as an opportunity to improve pedestrian safety. A wide variety of designs and tools are used to emphasize the presence and vulnerability of people on foot, boosting access for residents on all types of roadways across the City. 

Curb Bump-Outs

  • Make streets narrower to slow down drivers
  • Make it easier for drivers to see people waiting to cross the street
  • Encourage turning drivers to reduce speeds at intersections
  • Effective on many streets with on-street parking
Rendering of a street with curb bump-outs and crosswalk with people walking

Typical Design

View of a street and cars driving away from viewer with bumpouts narrowing roadway at a crosswalk

North Central Avenue

view of an intersection with a stop sign an a concrete bumpout detached from the curb next to the crosswalk

North Lavergne Avenue

Pedestrian Refuge Islands

  • Make it easier to find gaps in traffic when crossing a two-way street
  • Provide a place to wait when crossing a street with multiple lanes
  • Draw a driver’s attention to the crosswalk
Rendering of a street with a pedestrian refuge island in the center and people crossing in the crosswalk

Typical Design

Person crossing the street in crosswalk passing through a concrete refuge island

West Diversey Avenue

People crossing street with car waiting and concrete refuge island in the center

North Kedzie Avenue

Raised Crosswalks

  • Encourage drivers to slow down before the crosswalk
  • Enable people walking to easily cross the street at sidewalk level
  • Makes people crossing more visible to drivers
Rendering of a raised crosswalk across a roadway and people walking on the crosswalk

Typical Design

View of a raised crosswalk across a roadway

West Wilcox Street

View of a raised crosswalk across a roadway

North Rockwell Street

Bus Boarding Islands / Bus Bulbs

  • Expand the sidewalk space at bus stops
  • Improve boarding for passengers with easier transitions to and from the bus and sidewalk
  • Help buses move faster by decreasing the time lost when merging into traffic after service stops

Learn more about bus boarding islands

Rendering of person about to board bus from boarding island

Typical Design

Bus stopping and people boarding with person biking away from viewer in bike lane separated from vehicle travel lane by a concrete median

North Milwaukee Avenue

bus stopped in roadway with bus boarding island and person waiting to board

West 87th Street

Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons

  • Activated when pedestrians push the button
  • Notify drivers that a pedestrian is present and about to cross
  • Can be installed at typical pedestrian crossings on streets without stop signs or traffic signals
Rendering of a pedestrian crossing road sign with lights and a push-button

Typical Design

Roadway with rapid rectangular flashing beacon signs on both sides of a pedestrian crossing

West Devon Avenue

Roadway with rapid rectangular flashing beacon signs on both sides of a pedestrian crossing

North Northwest Highway

Pedestrian Countdown Signals

  • Provide a numeric countdown display for people walking
  • Let pedestrians know how many seconds they have to finish crossing the intersection
Rendering of pedestrian countdown signal with red hand and number 10

Typical Design

Leading Pedestrian Intervals

  • Give pedestrians a head start when entering an intersection
  • Enhance the visibility of people crossing an intersection
  • Reinforce that people walking have the priority in the street over turning vehicles
Renderingof traffic signal showing red and pedestrian signal displaying walk signal

Typical Design

Chicanes

  • Consist of raised concrete curves extending out into the street from the curb 
  • Require drivers to increase their attention and slow down to navigate the street
  • Can be activated with amenities like benches, bike racks, or landscaping
Rendering of a chicane on a roadway showing concrete used to realign the vehicle path

Typical Design

View of street with off-set parking and landscaping

North Albany Avenue

Truck driving on street with mid-block bumpouts

South Racine Avenue

Left Turn Traffic Calming

  • “Hardens” the centerline at intersections with raised curbs, bollards, and rubber speed bumps
  • Encourages drivers to take a safer turning path, turn more slowly, and yield to people walking
  • Emphasizes crossing locations and the presence of pedestrians

Learn more about Left Turn Traffic Calming

Rendering of person crossing street with hardened centerline

Typical Design

Person crossing street with rubber speed bump and vertical delineators along street centerline and left turning car pausing to yield to pedestrian

North State Street

View of intersection with bollards installed along and rubber speed bump on both sides of crosswalk.

West Division Street

 Neighborhood Traffic Circles

  • Consist of raised concrete circles with signage at the center of residential intersections
  • Require drivers to increase their attention and slow down to navigate the intersection
  • Effective at residential intersections with or without stop signs 
  • Can be activated with landscaping
Street with traffic circle in the center of intersection with plants growing in it

North Drake Street

Traffic circle in center of intersection with signage

South St Louis Avenue

neighborhood traffic circle with car passing through

South Komensky Avenue