Many crosswalks in Phoenix have paint that has faded so badly that drivers often don’t realize when they’ve entered pedestrian crossing areas.
“A lot of the vehicles here, they go past the paint,” said Sal Gomez, a pedestrian who relies on walking and public transit to get around.
Standing at 7th Street and McDowell Road, as well as 7th Street and Thomas Road, drivers repeatedly come up to the red light and roll into the crosswalk where the paint has faded.
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Gomez says he looks both ways before and while crossing streets due to safety concerns.
“When a person is crossing, they need to be able to see the lines,” he said.
At a recent city council meeting, Nicole Rodriguez with the Urban Phoenix Project brought attention to the issue, citing a city studythat showed “0% of killed or serious injury crashes occur at signalized intersections.
“Some of us like to pretend we are perfect drivers, and our roads are designed for perfection, and no one is perfect,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez has submitted a petition asking the council and the Phoenix Streets Department to create a new city crosswalk design policy requiring all crosswalks to have striping.
“We just need more visibility with paint,” she said.
According to a 2024 city report, nearly half of all deadly crashes in Phoenix involve pedestrians. Rodriguez argues that while the city moves forward with expensive red light and speed cameras to be installed this year, improving existing infrastructure can also save lives.
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“We all need it, because at one point or another, we are all walking, whether we drive or not,” Rodriguez said.
The city council will respond to her petition at their next meeting on May 21.
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