Designer streets safer
7485 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents In 2021-which represented an 11% increase in deaths. The biggest factor seemed to be speeding cars that could not stop in time. Police and city engineers are trying creative ways to get people to slow down and watch out for each other. One creative answer has been found for busy city intersections… decorating the neighborhood streets. Pedestrian deaths occur primarily in urban areas. Because traffic speeds affect the risk and severity of pedestrian crashes, reducing speeds can lower pedestrian deaths. Street art is bringing more than just a feelgood boost to drab city center junctions – it is saving lives, too. In Kansas City, US, a “daunting and dangerous” intersection is one of many that have been transformed with murals painted directly onto tarmac. Average speeds at the junction were slashed by almost half and the percentage of pedestrians who reported feeling “very safe” at the intersection jumped from 23 per cent to 63 per cent.
Art has the power to transform cities and make their public spaces safer and more vibrant. The Asphalt Art Initiative provides guidance and funding to cities around the world for visual art interventions on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure. The program assists cities looking to use art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage their communities. The Asphalt Art Initiative responds to the growing number of cities around the world embracing art as an effective and relatively low-cost strategy to improve and enrich their streets. The initiative focuses on “asphalt art,” including visual interventions on roadways (intersections and crosswalks), pedestrian spaces (plazas and sidewalks), and vertical infrastructure (utility boxes, traffic barriers, and underpasses).
A study of accident statistics at 22 asphalt art sites found that crashes involving pedestrians and other vulnerable road users were cut by 50 per cent, while accidents causing injury reduced by over a third. The research was carried out by Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of its Asphalt Art Initiative, which funds art projects transforming roads, pedestrian spaces and public infrastructure. “This kind of information gives mayors, community members and national policy makers the evidence needed to show that not only will these projects do no harm, but they actually prevent harm from happening in the first place.” Bloomberg’s scheme has backed over 40 projects in the US and three in Europe. The joint study of 22 different U.S. test cases revealed that arts-driven transportation projects produce: a 50% drop in the rate of pedestrians or cyclists, a 37% drop in serious injury crashes, a 25% drop in road rage incidents, and a 27% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians who have the right-of-way.
Artistic humor
His child drew a horse.
The artist asked, “You drew the horse wrong.”
The child replied, “How did I draw it wrong?”
The artist said, “Why does the horse have wings?”
The child replied, “Why can’t it have wings?”
The artist said, “It isn’t a horse if it has wings.”
The child replied, “Then why did you call it a horse?”
Today I met a graffiti artist…
His name was Mark Walls.
I was a house painter for 4 years…
I never thought I’d get that house done.
I tried to be a self-portrait painter.
But in the end, it just wasn’t me.
October 3rd Birthdays
1969 – Gwen Stefani, 1984 – Tessa Thompson, 1989 – Alicia Vikander, 1974 – Neve Campbell
1941 – Chubby Checker, 1954 – Dennis Eckersley, 1951 – Dave Winfield, 1963 – Tommy Lee