Evaluating and identifying hazards at pedestrian crossings

Pedestrian crossings are one of the most essential elements of linearinfrastructure in road transportation. A crosswalk is a place where a pedestrian should feelsafe crossing to the other side of the roadway. Regardless of what means of transportationeach road user utilizes, sooner or later, he or she acts as a pedestrian. Thus, he or shebecomes a potential victim of accidents that occur on Polish roads. A large proportion ofaccidents involving pedestrians occur at crosswalks, and proper signage, lighting, andtraffic lights cannot always ensure pedestrian safety at a crossing. Many risks affect trafficsafety. These include poor judgment on the part of the driver, failure to obey traffic laws,alcohol consumption, and poor weather conditions. Both the pedestrian and the driver of avehicle can be victims or perpetrators of accidents. In order to prevent traffic hazards atpedestrian crossings, it is necessary to improve the following: the technical conditions ofcrossings, their markings, lighting, and the use of islands or footbridges. It is also necessaryto conduct repeated educational activities among children, adolescents, and adults on theknowledge of traffic regulations. The purpose of the article is to present issues of roadtransport infrastructure based on the literature and to assess safety at selected pedestriancrossings in the city of Bielsko-Biala.