Let's see what they look like after a couple of seasons of plowing before we invest too much money. The faux redbrick crosswalks around UB took a beating.

Curb extensions and bike lanes would help, too. Those bricks look nice, but just painting zebra crossings would be a good start.

I was at the presentation by the company that makes this product, Street Print. Simply put the premise is that the reflective material is inset in regular asphalt so that it is 1)below the level of plow blades and tire friction, and 2) has the flexibility and durability of asphalt (as opposed to brittle concrete).

Apparently this product has been used with good results in metro Toronto and elsewhere with snow and freezing, but seeing will be believing.

www.streetprint.com

The demonstration was intiated by NYS Department of Transportation, which has control of Goodell as a feeder from the 33. If it proves successful the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is hoping to use it for crosswalks within the Campus, and I suspect that Buffalo Place will be advocating for its use by the City throughout Downtown.

If it performs as advertised the only drawback to it is that it can only be installed in fresh asphalt, so it is something that could only be added to steets if they have been recently repaved.