The City of Lebanon continues its efforts to increase pedestrian safety. In 2022, the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Advisory Committee asked the Department of Public Works (DPW) to consider painting crosswalks in the city in color. DPW evaluated the request and determined the best direction was to initiate a pilot project in 2023 on some of the City’s most heavily used crosswalks. The locations selected were around Colburn Park, Main Street, and near the schools. The purpose of the pilot project this year is to receive public feedback regarding the changes and for DPW to learn how best to paint these crosswalks, what style works best (solid versus striped), and which are the best colors to utilize. After evaluating the effectiveness of the program in the Fall of 2023, DPW will make a recommendation to the City Manager as to whether to continue the program.
The Federal Highway Administration’s guidance allows for colors to be painted on the crosswalks. The City of Lebanon selected red, yellow, and orange for the pilot project. These are the most common colors used by other municipalities across the country. The initial evaluation determined the most effective colors are orange and yellow.
This is the first time a project of this nature has been done. DPW has begun hand-rolling the paint and completing the work at night in order to give the paint more time to dry. One additional challenge has been the constant rainy weather, so the crews have not been able to consistently complete the work.
Feedback can be provided to dpw@lebanonnh.gov. There will also be an opportunity to provide feedback at two community conversations scheduled for September 26 and October 24, 2023, where a multitude of community topics will be discussed. Details for the community conversations will be provided closer to the events.
The City of Lebanon would like to thank the public for its understanding and patience as we continue to pilot painting city crosswalks in color.