Canadian Urbanism Uncovered
Read more articles by Dylan Reid
We’ve just had our attention drawn to an ingenious project in Portugal to raise awareness of pedestrian safety. The zebra stripes of a pedestrian crosswalk have been created by painting onto the road the names of pedestrians who were killed by cars, along with a note that “1/4 of car accident victims are pedestrians.”
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9 comments
Not sure how ingenious this is – encouraging pedestrians to look down instead of being aware of their surroundings?
I find this to be a pretty cool project. I don’t think people will be really looking down trying to read names, and if I am not mistaken it appears there are crossing lights (the post in the island). Portuguese roads are among the most dangerous in Western Europe, from what I read in an European Commission report things have been improving drastically these past 10 years, but they still have a long way to go. One of the major factors has been campaigns like these, which have created awareness to the general public and stricter laws on driving intoxicated.
I have to agree with Carlos. I can’t imagine pedestrians will actually try to read the names while they cross. That isn’t really the point. Following the argument that this is a safety risk suggests that the simpler the aesthetic, the better the pedestrian environment such that we may be free from distractions and devote more attention to watching vehicles. Shouldn’t the onus of responsible behaviour sit more with the least vulnerable, i.e. the drivers? On that note, however, isn’t this message speaking to the wrong people? Regardless, I think this is a clever piece of public art (although designed by an advertising agency) with a good cause around an issue that deserves more public acknowledgment and debate.
It would be very Torontonian to say this art is a public risk.
I do have to wonder how long it would last before the paint wears off. Maybe it’s not intended to have that level of permanency, though.
Great idea, but for one thing: it makes the point clearer to pedestrians and cyclists, who already feel the danger, than it does to the car-bound.
What if we flashed the names of car-struck pedestrians and cyclists on the pixleboards on expressways?
Or TV commercials: it has far lessened drunk driving since the 70s. Back then most adults (including my own father) would not give the wheel to someone sober, even with children in the car.
I just wonder how long the names would last what with snowfall and snowplows and road salt. Probably not one year. Look how often they have to paint lane markings.
Noble idea but not for this climate. Just like cat’s eyes in the road. Wouldn’t last one snowplowing.
David Elliott ,
“I just wonder how long the names would last what with snowfall and snowplows and road salt. Probably not one year. Look how often they have to paint lane markings. ”
SNOW IN LISBON?
🙂
🙂
Isabel-PORTUGAL