Twelve brightly colored crosswalks is the solution proposed by Santa Monica’s officials for safer streets, at least in the city’s downtown area. The ‘Creative Crosswalks’ project was announced in July 2016, in an effort to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths and serious injuries to zero, an action plan called ‘Vision Zero’ but also to lure people to leave the car at home and walk instead. The Vision Zero initiative was launched in 2015 as part of a worldwide movement to reduce traffic deaths. Creative crosswalks have already been used in many cities around the world in order to make crossings more visible to motorists. And in Santa Monica, they even help breaking the stereotype that nobody walks in L.A.
The pilot project was two brightly colored crossings, one at Second Street and Arizona Avenue and the other at the Broadway and Ocean Avenue intersection. Their decoration was decided after taking into account the results of the online survey the officials asked people to take. "Creating beautiful moments in our public spaces and streets elevates the experience of walking and place. When it is delightful to walk, people will choose to walk and look forward to walking as a part of the day and a part of their commute", said Francie Stefan, Santa Monica’s Mobility Manager. Most of the pedestrian-friendly crossings are also scramble ones, meaning that they allow people to cross in all directions—even diagonally across the intersection—at one time.
LA city also plans to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2025, as it currently has the highest rate among all U.S. cities (according to the statistics, every 40 hours a person is killed in a traffic collision). The city has joined the Vision Zero initiative and its government recently issued an action plan aiming to reduce deaths by 20% by the end of 2017.
The crossing at Ocean Avenue and Broadway
The intersection at 2nd and Arizona Avenue
LA’s rate of traffic deaths is higher than any other U.S. city’s
Image source: Curbed LA
Source: Curbed LA
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