Intersection Daylighting

White flex post installation is a relatively quick and low-cost process. Posts can be installed and maintained by City staff. Unlike many other safety improvements, flex post installation does not require a lengthy permitting or approval process through state agencies. Flex posts can also be temporarily removed if necessary due to emergencies, heavy snow, or other conditions.

Yes. This treatment can be made permanent by adding infrastructure such as curb extensions (bulb outs) or vegetated curb extensions (planted areas surrounded by curb that capture stormwater runoff and help to prevent flooding.) These projects have many benefits, but also require more time, planning, approvals, funding, and may require traffic and pedestrian diversion during construction.

The intersection daylighting treatment, along with other low-cost design treatments to improve intersection safety, are recommended in the City’s Vison Zero Plan. Locations for intersection safety improvements were prioritized based on several factors, including:

• Located along the High Injury Network
• Located near a school
• Top 10 intersections with the most serious and fatal crashes
• Had poor crosswalk condition based on the crosswalk condition inventory
• Was NOT part of a larger, planned street improvement project

Daylighting does not remove legal parking spaces. It prevents parking in areas where it is illegal to park by state and city law.

In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to park within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection or within 30 feet of any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or other traffic control device located at the side of a roadway. It is also illegal to park on the sidewalk; in an intersection; on a crosswalk; within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; or on the roadway side of a vehicle already stopped or parked along the edge or curb of the street (double parking). For additional information, please see the PA DMV Driver’s Manual,Pennsylvania Code (Title 75, § 3353), or City of Lancaster Code (§285-15).

The length of daylighting areas is based on illegal parking areas in accordance with state and city law, as well as traffic direction.

For example, on the approach to a stop sign, it is illegal to park within 30 feet of the sign – thus, the daylighting area will be 30 feet from the stop sign on one side of the street. Stop signs may be located at slightly different distances from each intersection, which can lead to minor variations at different locations.

On a two-way street, one side of the street will not have a stop sign (because it is receiving vehicles from other legs of the intersection.) Thus, the daylighting area on that side will only be 20 feet long as measured from the crosswalk.

Intersection daylighting, as well as other low-cost intersection improvements have been placed at locations around the City, primarily along the High Injury Network as identified in the Vision Zero Plan. Please see the map below (noting that some minor changes were made between the 2022 plan and 2023 installation).

Public notice was not given to immediate neighbors for installation of this infrastructure because it does not require road closure or removal of legal parking spaces, and can be completed in a relatively short period of time. The City is working on additional educational materials about these treatments, and is open to other methods of notification.

Daylighting areas located along designated snow emergency routes are removed in November and December in preparation for the winter. Posts will be replaced in the spring. The City Department of Public Works is responsible for winter street maintenance and snow plowing. The City is required to plow designated snow emergency routes from curb to curb.