Berne authorities have found a new method to improve the visibility of the cross-walks: Swarovski crystals.
Since last summer, The Bernese Civil Engineering Department has been trying to find a different color combination for the cross-walks, somehow brighter than the yellow used until now. To highlight the cross-walks Swiss authorities have reached the conclusion that paint will be visible if mixed with Swarovski crystals. The decision was taken due to the large number of accidents that occurred on crossings since last fall.
Every square meter of paint contains a pound of crystals’ powder, and each kilogram of crystals costs 9.8 euros. This means that the total price for a cross-walk increased by 5% compared with on drawn with usual paint.
“The crystals in the paint improve the visibility of the cross-walks. Differences can be best observed in fog, rain and at night,” says Patric Schaedeli, a representative of Bern Hall.