Illustrations by D?lice Williams?
Creative Crosswalks
How often do you think about the crosswalks you use every day? They are ubiquitous as a pedestrian safety measure across the United States; their characteristic white stripes both guide pedestrians and alert drivers to crossings. A growing number of cities, however, are abandoning their uniform white stripes for creative crosswalks, with colorful, patterned pavement to mark crossings (see Fig 1). These cities include Philadelphia (Jones), San Antonio (Sanchez), Austin (“ATD”), and Virginia Beach (Parker). Although they function as both street art and traffic control devices, there is some debate as to whether they are effective at keeping pedestrians safe. As street art, creative crosswalks enliven city streets by making them engaging and safe places. Their unique designs can create local identity and pride, foster social inclusion, and empower community members. As traffic control devices, creative crosswalks serve as high-visibility, marked crosswalks, with bright colors and patterns that draw the attention of motorists and pedestrians alike.
Despite these benefits, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has requested that a number of creative crosswalks across the US be taken down. While many criticize creative crosswalks as ineffective pedestrian safety devices, they are far more than just devices. This paper considers high-visibility crosswalk treatments and city-sponsored street art programs to argue that creative crosswalks are safer than standard crosswalk markings, and provide a platform for people to engage with their community and promote social inclusion.
Fig. 1. Creative crosswalk from: Melrose Promenade Public Art – Community Crosswalk” by Mrkent578 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
To understand the impact of creative crosswalks, it is first important to understand the pushback against them. The FHWA has requested the removal of rainbow crosswalk markings in several US cities on the basis that colored pavement does not create the same amount of contrast on the road. For example, in 2016, the federal government asked leaders in St. Louis to remove the city’s fleur-de-lis and rainbow crosswalks (Taketa). One year later, they asked for the removal of a rainbow crosswalk in Lexington, Kentucky (Beam). According to the FHWA, these requests are based on concerns that the colorful markings could be unsafe for drivers and pedestrians. In a 2019 request to remove rainbow crosswalks in Ames, Iowa, the FHWA maintained that colored markings decrease, the contrast between the white lines and the pavement, potentially decreasing the effectiveness of the crosswalk markings and the safety of pedestrian traffic” (Rueb). This statement indicates that the FHWA’s principal concern is that creative crosswalks are less visible to drivers, rather than distracting. However, there are no studies that report on pedestrian safety at intersections with crosswalk art; thus, the FHWA has no empirical evidence that creative crosswalks are less visible to drivers, as there is no research studying the effect of colored pavement in crosswalks.
It is also important to understand that crosswalks are not all the same, and they are not simply white lines or colors painted on asphalt. There are two primary types of crosswalks: those that are marked, and those that are controlled. Marked crosswalks are what you imagine crosswalks to be: the stripes of white paint we see at mid-block crossings and some street corners. Creative crosswalks are another example of marked crosswalks, as they indicate crossings with visible paint on the street. Unmarked crosswalks, however, are implied, or invisible, crosswalks that legally exist at every street corner (Zegeer 57). Next, controlled crosswalks depend on a device, like a traffic signal, yield sign, or a stop sign, to explicitly tell motorists to come to a stop. Uncontrolled crosswalks, conversely, do not have controls to prompt drivers to stop.
Because there are several distinct crosswalk designs, certain treatments are more effective at keeping pedestrians safe than others. Standard crosswalk treatments consist of two solid or dashed white lines, painted perpendicular to the flow of traffic. High-visibility designs, however, contain many lines parallel to the flow of traffic (see Fig. 2). High-visibility treatments?such as ladder, zebra, and continental markings?are recommended over standard crosswalks since they contain a greater number of white lines, making them easier for motorists to see on the road (McGrane and Mitman). Their visibility confers many other advantages to high-visibility crosswalks. For instance, they have been shown to improve yielding behavior (McGrane and Mitman), and produce better compliance rates on roads with lower speed limits (Amini). Since these designs contain more markings than the sole pair of parallel lines featured in standard crosswalks, they are easier for drivers and pedestrians to see and enhance pedestrian safety.
Fig. 2. Digital sketch of crosswalk treatments, labeled.
Creative crosswalks, with their patterned and colorful pavement, function as high-visibility crosswalks since they feature additional markings between the standard parallel crosswalk lines. Capturing the attention of both pedestrians and motorists, creative crosswalks contain vibrant colors and eye-catching patterns. Just as the additional white stripes in ladder, zebra, and continental treatments are highly visible to drivers, the designs within creative crosswalks stand out to motorists. Because creative crosswalks contain colorful patterns, they stand out from the largely black-and-white urban landscape, capturing the attention of both pedestrians and motorists. Because they function as high visibility marked crosswalks, creative crosswalks may be safer for pedestrians than standard markings.
Besides acting as enhanced safety devices, creative crosswalks improve the aesthetics of a neighborhood, while providing opportunities for community engagement and a platform to promote inclusion. The book Art in Diverse Social Settings examines the role that art plays in today’s society. Within its exploration of different settings, the collection considers the ability of street art to transform parts of a city into vivid representations of local identity. In her book, Luisa Fonseca Silva describes street art programs in the cities of Lisbon, Heerlen, and Toronto to illustrate that engagement through street art brings communities together, and develops the built environment (221). In her explanation of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) events, Silva cites that the street art program helps to encourage active transportation (walking and cycling), make […] streets more beautiful and safe, showcase local artists, mentor emerging talent, reduce overall infrastructure maintenance costs and more” (229).
Besides these benefits, street art programs bring opportunities for community engagement. Community engagement integrates people from different backgrounds, giving marginalized groups a voice within their community. Street art programs are inclusive of all community members, and provide a platform for underrepresented groups to be heard. The inclusive nature of street art transforms otherwise featureless or rundown parts of a city into vivid representations of local identity. Creative crosswalks, as street art installations, also create local identity and pride by illustrating the unique character of a neighborhood.
Rainbow crosswalks are one example of how creative crosswalks reflect the community living around them. Rainbow crosswalks, for instance, promote the value of social inclusion. Their history is rooted in activism against the oppression of LGBTQ+ people. For a while, rainbow crosswalks indicated a high concentration of businesses owned by LGBTQ+ individuals, but now they are a permanent fixture in a growing number of municipalities across the US. For example, San Francisco’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood, the Castro, made their rainbow crosswalks a permanent feature in 2014 (Branson-Potts). In the following year, Key West installed permanent rainbow crosswalks, exemplifying the city’s support for diversity (?Key West”). Philadelphia also painted rainbow crosswalks in 2015, honoring the 50 years since the initial wave of US LGBTQ+ rights demonstrations (?New Rainbow Crosswalks”). These rainbow crosswalks, and the many more installed throughout the US, exemplify that creative crosswalks can serve to mirror community beliefs and foster inclusion. They are a way for towns and cities to show support and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ people living in them. But more importantly, they show meaningful, inclusive community engagement in the built environment contributes significantly to the well being of a community.
Although there are no definitive studies published on such crosswalks, it is clear that creative crosswalks have more potential to be helpful than they have to be harmful to communities. Creative crosswalks function as high-visibility crosswalks, found to be the safest for pedestrian use. The vibrant colors and distinct patterns found on creative crosswalks act as highly visible markings, drawing the attention of both pedestrians and motorists, slowing down traffic, and keeping both motorists and pedestrians safer in the process. Furthermore, such crosswalks allow the community to participate in and engage with their built environment. In allowing individual parts of a city to decorate the streets with customized crosswalks, the installations serve to create a sense of place, boost community pride, or honor neighborhood history. Thus, creative crosswalks help make cities a welcoming place for everyone, especially when they are created by those who live in the community. As Jane Jacobs succinctly put it, Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody” (238).
Author: Lauren Desantis
My ENGL110 course with Dr. Bragg challenged me to consider the ways in which social justice and the built environment intersect. During the semester, Dr. Bragg introduced the work of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist who championed a community-based approach to city planning. I found myself drawn to her work when we read about sidewalks in an excerpt from her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities.”
In this passage, she argues that safety and belonging are integral in making a neighborhood a community, and she outlines the ways in which safety and belonging are achieved on urban sidewalks. While Jacobs thoroughly examined sidewalks, she left out crosswalks. This left me with questions about their safety and prompted my research.
When I began my research, I focused on the accessibility of different crosswalk features, like talking crosswalk signals and curb ramps. As I continued my research, however, I found a New York Times article on rainbow crosswalks that piqued my interest and led me to ask new questions, such as: what is the impact of a colorful, patterned crosswalk in a neighborhood? It surprised me to learn that these crosswalks had a name, creative crosswalks, which gave me a new direction for another round of research, this time with an emphasis on different crosswalk treatments and the benefits of street art installations. In the end, I employed my research to conclude that creative crosswalks are more visible to pedestrians and motorists; thus, they are likely safer than standard markings. Creative crosswalks also provide the community with a sense of belonging by creating a sense of place and boosting neighborhood pride.
Instructor: ?Nicolette Bragg
Our section of Honors English 110 focused on the relationship between social justice and the built environment. The course was premised on the idea that conversations about social justice require skills akin to those of writing. With Constructing Social Justice” as our theme, we thus developed our rhetorical awareness, learned to write about complex ideas with thoughtfulness, and thought about how to make arguments that are both ambitious and responsible. In the second half of the semester, students selected their own topic and composed a paper that entered into a relevant and timely conversation. The two essays featured in this collection are admirable in their efforts to put into practice the lessons of the course and for the care with which they treat their subject. Lauren DeSantis pushes back against concerns that creative crosswalks interfere with public safety, reminding us that they also advance social inclusion.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Amini, Roja Ezzati, et al. Negotiation and Decision-Making for a Pedestrian Roadway Crossing: A Literature Review.” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 23, 2019, pp. 1?24., doi: 10.3390/su11236713. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
ATD Installs Austin’s First Creative Crosswalk on Lake Austin Boulevard.” Austin Texas, www.austintexas.gov/article/atd-installs-austins-first-creative-crosswalk-lake-austin-boulevard. Accessed 18 Nov 2021.
Beam, Adam. Rainbow LGBT Crosswalk Ordered Removed in Kentucky after Federal Officials Deem It Dangerous.” Toronto Sun, 15 Nov. 2017, torontosun.com/news/world/rainbow-lgbt-crosswalk-ordered-removed-in-kentucky-after-federal-officials-deem-it-dangerous. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
Branson-Potts, Hailey. San Francisco’s Castro District to Get Gay Pride Rainbow Crosswalks.” Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2014, www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-francisco-castro-rainbow-crosswalks-20140314-story.html. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, Random House, 1961.
Jones, Layla A. Rainbow Crosswalks Come to Philadelphia.” Inquirer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 25 June 2015, www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/trending/Rainbow-crosswalks-come-to-Philadelphia.html. Accessed 18 Nov 2021.
Key West Installs New Permanent Rainbow Crosswalks.” NBC Miami, Associated Press, 16 June 2020, www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/key-west-installs-new-permanent-rainbow-crosswalks/2249290/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
New Rainbow Crosswalks Support Philadelphia’s LGBT Community.” NBC Philadelphia, Associated Press, 31 July 2019, www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/rainbow-crosswalks-support-philadelphias-lgbt-community/2014661/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2021.
McGrane, Ann, and Meghan Mitman. An Overview and Recommendations of High-Visibility Crosswalk Marking Styles.” National Association of City Transportation Officials, Federal Highway Administration, Aug. 2013, nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/overview_and_recommendations_high_visibility_crosswalk_marking_styles_mcgrane.pdf. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
Mrkent578. Melrose Promenade Public Art – Community Crosswalk.” Wikimedia, 2018, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melrose_Promenade_Public_Art_-_Community_Croswalk.jpg. Accessed 7 Nov. 2021.
Parker, Stacy. Painted Crosswalks at East End of I-264 Add Pop of Color to Virginia Beach.” Pilot Online, The Virginian-Pilot, 5 Aug. 2019, www.pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/article_e23406ac-4016-11e8-9dc6-13497493394d.html. Accessed 18 Nov 2021.
Rueb, Emily S. The Government Says Rainbow Crosswalks Could Be Unsafe. Are They Really?” New York Times, 7 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/us/crosswalks-ames-iowa-safety.html. Accessed 18 Nov 2021.
Sanchez, Sam. Rainbow Crosswalk on Main Avenue Strip to Be Unveiled on June 29.” San Antonio Current, 20 June 2018, www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/rainbow-crosswalk-on-main-avenue-strip-to-be-unveiled-on-june-29/Content?oid=12834423. Accessed 18 Nov 2021.
Silva, Louisa Fonseca. A Framework for Community Development through Street Art Culture.” Art in Diverse Social Settings, edited by Susana Gonc?alves and Suzanne Majhanovich, Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp. 221-235, doi:10.1108/978-1-80043-896-520211014. Accessed 20 Nov 2021.
Taketa, Kristen. St. Louis Will Let Crosswalk Art That Violates Federal Rules Fade Away.” Saint Louis Today, 7 Feb. 2016, www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-will-let-crosswalk-art-that-violates-federal-rules/article_f878de6d-0c3c-5320-afd6-26d8099f6933.html. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
Zegeer, Charles V., et al. Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations: Analysis of Pedestrian Crashes in 30 Cities.” Transportation Research Record, vol. 1773, no. 1, 2001, pp. 56-68, doi:10.3141/1773-07. Accessed 19 Nov 2021.
Paper Prompt
Nicolette Bragg
Assignment Prompt
RESEARCH PROJECT
Requirements
Length: 6-8 pages
Due Date First Draft: Nov 5
Due Date Second Draft: Nov 19
Due Date Final: Dec 8
Bibliography Minimum Requirements: Seven sources, at least three of which must be academic journal articles, all of which much be used responsibly and carefully evaluated
Prompt
Compose a coherent and well-written essay in which you enter into a conversation on a chosen subject, taking a position and arguing for this position while demonstrating awareness of context. By doing research on this subject and learning what others think about it, you will help readers better understand its stakes and implications. Be sure that this subject falls within the scope of the course’s theme (social justice and the built environment).