Wales could be the first part of the UK to introduce simplified, permanent side road zebra crossings after a statutory instrument was laid before the Senedd in February.

Ian Bradfield, outgoing head of road safety at the Welsh Government, hailed it as a ‘proud day' for him and his team after they had ‘worked so hard' to get a statutory instrument (SI) laid in the Senedd, which would allow side road zebra crossings.

The SI comes into force on 11 March and gives Welsh local authorities new powers to install simplified zebra crossings across the side roads at the mouths of junctions, helping to remind users that pedestrians have priority. The changes apply ‘where both the main and side road have a speed limit of 20mph'.

When first announcing the plans last year, transport secretary Ken Skates said: ‘Trials in Cardiff and similar trials undertaken in Manchester and Westminster found no evidence that using a side road zebra crossing would have a significantly greater risk than one using the full range of features and showed a significant increase in drivers giving way to pedestrians compared to a junction without them.'

Technically, the instrument makes amendments to the Traffic Signs and General Directions 2016. These include ensuring that a Zebra crossing placed on a minor road, no more than five metres from the junction, does not need to have yellow globe lights or zig-zag markings.

The planned reforms were supported by research from TRL, which involved monitoring the impact of trial crossings on road user behaviour. Side road zebras were trialled in three locations in Cardiff in 2022 to support the introduction of the 20mph speed limit.

The research employed ‘an innovative AI-based optical sensor system to produce a digital interpretation of road user movements and positions before and after the implementation of the trial crossing'. The AI system was supplied by Vivacity.

User perceptions were also gathered through questionnaires and workshops.

This report states: ‘After the trial markings were applied, there was a substantial and statistically significant drop (60% at Bishops and Hawthorn, and 39% at Evansfield) in the number of cases where the pedestrian went second, providing strong evidence that there was a significant increase in propensity to give way.

‘Other positive outcomes were a statistically significant increase in the number of pedestrians that crossed at the desire line; an overall reduction in vehicle speeds as they approached the crossing; and an increase in the distance between a vehicle and pedestrian at the crossing.'

The distribution of the time gap between the first road user leaving the crossing area and the second road user suggested that there was no increase in ‘near misses' after the implementation of the trial crossings. Also, ‘significantly more pedestrians were also clearing the crossing area before the vehicle reached it'.

On vehicle speeds, TRL notes ‘a clear shift in the distribution towards lower speeds'. ‘The percentage of interaction with vehicle speeds in the range 1 to 2 m/s increased after the implementation in every site (from 5% to 20%). Meanwhile, the percentage of interactions with higher vehicle speeds tended to decrease after the implementation,' the report states.

Mr Bradfield posted on social media: ‘Proud day today. If all goes well, Wales will be the first part of the UK to introduce Side Road Zebras.' Sign and lining expert, Simon Morgan, senior consultant at Causeway Technologies, also said he was ‘really glad to have had a part in bringing this valuable measure to fruition'.

In its recommendations, TRL notes that consideration needs to be given during scheme design to the concerns raised by people with disabilities: ‘Specifically to ensure that side road crossings are free from obstruction and parked vehicles, that crossings are only marked between parallel kerbs, with tactile paving correctly maintained to identify the crossing location.' l