The zig zags seem to be a peculiarly British idea, the only place outside the UK where I have seen them is Cyprus – a former British Colony. The rest of the world manages well without them. Presumably if there was a measurable safety benefit the idea would have been adopted world wide.
Removal of these markings allows crossings to be placed nearer to each other, as in many cases on the continent where there may be 3 or 4 crossings in a short village street, but with parking allowed bewtween them. This gives more opportunities for pedestrians to cross at designated crossing points as long as they just take care to look out past parked vehicles to check for traffic before deciding to cross. Pedestrians get more crossings, drivers get more parking spaces, safety is not compromised – judged by world wide reluctance to impose zig zags, a win win situation – and it safes lots of white paint