Introduction to guardrails
The use of guardrails should generally be avoided but may be an appropriate response to address a safety risk. Poorly located guardrails can increase the risk and severity of collisions. They can also limit the ability of pedestrians to cross on the desire line.
While railings are often put in with the justification of safety for pedestrians by guiding them to a dedicated crossing facility and attempting to prevent them from crossing elsewhere, this can have unintended consequences.
Impact on pedestrians
Pedestrians can get frustrated that their desire lines are blocked and take risks, including:
- walking along the carriageway side of the railings
- crossing the street away from the designated crossings
Impact on cyclists
Where guard railing is present, a cyclist may not be able to evade traffic conflict by escaping to the footway and may be crushed against the guard railing. An example of this is where a heavy goods vehicle turns left across the path of a cyclist in the carriageway.
Impact on traffic speeds
The presence of guardrails may cause traffic speeds to increase, as drivers perceive the street to be free from pedestrians except at designated crossings. This can worsen the severity of potential collisions.
Guardrail use
Guardrail use should generally be avoided unless:
- there are no other viable options to mitigate safety risk, such as children potentially running into the carriageway when exiting a school or park
- no alternative exists to mitigate hazards such as steep slopes, drops or other safety risks
Guardrails should adhere to specified height and design standards to ensure safety and visibility for pedestrians, including assistance dogs and wheelchair users.
Guardrails should not reduce the width of footways to less than 2 metres and should be at least 1100mm high. They should contrast with the environment using colour or markings to ensure visibility.
