Decorative Crosswalks Are One of The Hottest Trends in Road Safety and Street Beatification Projects

Side Benefit: High-Visibility Crosswalks Can Reduce Pedestrian Injury By Up To 40% And Add Loads Of Charm To Neighborhood Streets

As the studies add up, city planners are quickly realizing they can add charm and beauty, while also potentially increasing pedestrian safety with simple and effective decorative crosswalks. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), high-visibility crosswalks can reduce pedestrian injury by up to 40%.

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New Trends in Decorative Crosswalks and Intersections

Municipalities and townships are under increasing pressure to create “walkable” lifestyles and reduce urban traffic. Installing decorative crosswalks is a practical and cost-effective way to create a more welcoming environment for foot traffic while also helping driver awareness.

Newer crosswalk pavement marking materials are created using preformed thermoplastic and make it possible to achieve a wide variety of high-quality graphics, textures, reflectivity, skid-resistance and more.

The Best of Both Worlds: Stamped Brick Crosswalks Enhance Visibility and Add Charm

One of the latest trends in city street designs features adding a touch of homey appeal to city crosswalks and intersections with decorative crosswalk stamping. Newer thermoplastic products include options to apply stamped textures to achieve the look of a brick crosswalk without the hassle and expense of installing and dealing with all the issues of real brick pavers on city streets. In fact, stamped thermoplastic crosswalks are often safer with the ability to add a non-skid corundum layer on top.

Whether you’re looking for a traditional red brick pattern or prefer an elevated stone herringbone look, preformed thermoplastic offers a multitude of choices.

How are Stamped Decorative Crosswalks Installed to Look Like Brick?

A&A Safety pavement marking technicians install a stamped brick crosswalk in Huber Heights, Ohio. The team uses an infrared heater before applying the stamp effect to produce the brick look. Disruption to traffic is minimal with this turnkey decorative crosswalk installation.

Stamped faux brick crosswalks are installed using a special version of preformed thermoplastic. Generally speaking, stamped decorative crosswalks are installed like any other preformed thermoplastic product, but with an additional step that produces the brick look.

The underlying pavement is cleaned of all debris and an asphalt sealer is applied to the application area. Then, the preform sections are fitted in to place. Next, using special infrared heaters and torches, the plastic and asphalt are heated to create a bond and make the pavement more malleable. Once the plastic is heated to the appropriate temperature, the pattern grid is applied and stamped into the asphalt to form the desired pattern.

How Do Stamped Decorative Crosswalks Compare to Real Brick Pavers?

Brick pavers are a beautiful option for low-volume roadways that don’t receive a lot of vehicle or foot traffic. However, using preformed thermoplastic as an alternative can increase longevity and safety.

Better Safety Measures – With preformed thermoplastic, your decorative crosswalks can have reflective properties and non-skid layers to aid drivers. The non-skid layer can also enhance pedestrian safety by reducing slip-and-falls, especially when the weather creates harsh conditions.

Maintenance & Durability – The thermoplastic material used in stamped decorative crosswalks is highly durable and long-lasting. Brick pavers in high-traffic zones are often subject to joint issues and settling, and freeze-thaw cycles can exacerbate these issues.

Time and Cost of Installation – First, the cost of materials when installing preformed thermoplastic is significantly less expensive than brick. Additionally, stamped decorative crosswalks can be installed quickly in just a few hours. This reduces staff time for both the installation team and any MOT services needed, compared to installing brick pavers. Plus, don’t forget about the savings in maintenance time mentioned above when using thermo.

What Patterns and Colors Are Possible for Stamped Decorative Brick Crosswalks?

A wide variety of stamp patterns and colors is available, giving you endless possibilities. Choose from dozens of colors, ranging from warm red brick hues to cool slate gray tones that look like stone. Want to stand out? You can also tap brighter, bolder colors to achieve even more visibility for your decorative crosswalks.

The choice of patterns is equally broad. Here’s a sampling of the types of patterns you can select with a stamped decorative brick crosswalk:

Patterns Available with Stamped Brick Crosswalks:

Decorative Crosswalks that Don’t Require Stamping Offer More Graphics Option

You can achieve a similar look with an even quicker installation timeline using a slightly different surface-applied preformed thermoplastic product. With the TrafficPatterns® Interconnected System, you’ll get a distinctive brick appearance immediately upon installation, complete with built-in grout markings, but without the extra step of applying the stamp.

These durable pavement markings are intersection-grade quality, and offer safety attributes over the long term by embedding non-skid elements throughout. As the applied surface takes on wear and tear, new non-skid material is revealed to maintain pedestrian safety.

These decorative pavement markings are applied using an interconnected system in a similar way as the stamped brick option using an infrared heater. However, since this material does not require the extra step of applying the stamp, it’s a much more turnkey process, saving time and budget. As a result, the impact to traffic is minimal. Although the original road surface must still be cleaned and prepped, roads can be open to the public again within minutes of completing the decorative crosswalk application.

Patterns and Colors Available with Interconnected Decorative Brick Crosswalks

When considering the patterns for interconnected crosswalk systems, you get a few more distinctive and – and decorative – options since you are not limited by having to use a physical stamp.

The color options are robust with dozens of shades to choose from, including a wide variety of red, brown and grey brick colors, as well as brighter more decorative colors, such as olive green, teal, pink or orange.

Other High-Visibility Crosswalk Options

This photo shows a creative and cost-effective approach for the client. A&A Safety worked with the client to develop a simple solution designed to enhance safety using standard thermoplastic forms made for traditional crosswalks. The only difference is that we included the client’s brand color red in an alternating pattern to significantly increase visual interest. Let us know what your goals are and A&A Safety can recommend the best affordable solutions for your needs.

Decorative crosswalks can be even bolder and brighter when safety is of utmost importance or your city, school or large facility is interested in creating a more aesthetic impact.

Large bold cross bars in bright colors or unique artistic designs have been proven to decrease pedestrian injury significantly. As a result, many cities are taking their intersections up a notch with strong designs.

Generally speaking, most designs are permitted by the MUTCD as long as they do not attempt to appear as a 3-D image that could disrupt traffic.

A&A Safety can offer a wide range of options. This same technology can be applied to full sections of street or entire intersections, paved pathways, stadium parking lots and more. Your team at A&A Safety will help you find the right solutions to achieve your goals.

Call A&A Safety for All Your Decorative Crosswalk Services

The pavement marking experts at A&A Safety can help you take your decorative crosswalk projects from to-do to done. In addition to installation expertise for high-visibility and stamped brick crosswalks, we also offer turnkey MOT services to ensure driver and pedestrian safety while installation is underway. Our dedicated and efficient teams can work during low-traffic periods and will make sure roads open again quickly. We also offer enhanced services for crosswalks that include full pavement marking installation, RRFB crosswalk signal installation, sign installation, and more.