A pedestrian safety island reduces the exposure time experienced by a pedestrian in the intersection.
While safety islands may be used on both wide and narrow streets, they are generally applied at locations where speeds and volumes make crossings prohibitive, or where three or more lanes of traffic make pedestrians feel exposed or unsafe in the intersection.
As the number of travel lanes increases, pedestrians feel more exposed and less safe entering the intersection.
Adapted from the Urban Street Design Guide, published by Island Press.