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

On the morning of 8 September, she arrived at Maitighar Mandala, a huge traffic island in central Kathmandu with several of her friends.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025

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

Near a subway station entrance on a busy traffic island, the gesture transformed a private function accommodated by Duchamp’s found object into a desperate social act, which Hammons titled “Pissed Off.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2023

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