traffic island

American  

noun

1. a raised or marked-off area between lanes of a roadway, used by pedestrians to get out of the flow of traffic, as a place for traffic signals, for separating lanes, etc.

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traffic island British  

noun

1. a raised area in the middle of a road, designed as a guide for traffic and to provide a stopping place for pedestrians

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Etymology

Origin of traffic island

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

traffic island

As we neared the end of the tour, we stopped through Verdi Square, the irregularly shaped traffic island named for the Italian opera composer.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2023

The above-ground entrance booth, on a traffic island near Leicester Square, was more recently used as a theatre ticket kiosk but shut in 2021.

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2023

Near Lincoln Park in Los Angeles, a statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor, lords over an awkwardly shaped traffic island — sponsored, in part, by the Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, a Mexican beer company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

The bronze statue of Columbus, erected in 1877 atop a pedestal in a traffic island, had been defaced by protesters in the past, and officials took it down last year, amid threats of further damage.

From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2021

One man sat on a traffic island in the middle of the road holding a sign saying in Dutch “This is a dead end road,” while others parked a truck blocking the road.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021