A zebra crossing in Dresden that was once hand-painted is now real

Following the farce involving a hand-painted crosswalk in Dresden, a real crosswalk is now in place to improve pedestrian safety. The city of Dresden spent approximately 44,000 euros on the crosswalk on Glacisstraße and announced plans for additional crosswalks.

“Every new crosswalk makes everyday life a little safer for many people. We don’t build them at random, but rather where our pedestrian traffic strategy and school route analyses indicate the greatest need,” emphasized Stephan Kühn (Greens), the city’s mayor in charge of construction. 

Longer Walking Routes for Safe Crossings

In the summer of 2025, unknown individuals painted a crosswalk on the roadway along the busy street in Neustadt to provide safe access to the Heinrich Schütz Conservatory. The city promptly blocked off the crossing with warning cones because the paint could be removed at first. Schoolchildren and residents had to walk a long way to safely cross the street.

Homemade crosswalks pose a dangerous interference with traffic

The city had justified the measure at the time by stating that unauthorized crosswalks constitute not only property damage but also a dangerous interference with traffic. Furthermore, traffic signs installed without authorization constitute an administrative offense under the Road Traffic Code. The general public, however, took a more relaxed view of this form of self-regulation regarding traffic. 

Dresden Plans More Crosswalks

“The fact that we are completing seven new crosswalks this year and have already planned nine more for 2027 is therefore an important step toward safe pedestrian traffic throughout Dresden,” Kühn explained. In the case of Glacisstraße, two additional lights will ensure that pedestrians are more easily visible at the crossing, even after dark. Grooved and raised-dot tiles help people with visual impairments find the crosswalk. A 30 km/h speed limit now applies along the entire stretch of road.