traffic island

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.

traffic island

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of traffic island¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Overgrown by weedy Australian tea trees, English ivy and such, the last known wild Franciscan manzanita grew on a traffic island shaped like a teardrop.

From Science News

The storm so worried one of the operation’s contractors that an employee spent the night on the traffic island to make sure a canopy covering the plant did not blow away.

From Science News