Town in Iceland Paints 3D Zebra Crosswalk To Slow Down Speeding Cars
Since 2008 the deaths of pedestrians in traffic have increased 41 percent, with more than 6.000 fatalities per year. Though there are many causes for that, unlit and unsafe road crossings and reckless drivers might make the bigger part of it, and many countries have different ways of dealing that, but Iceland probably has the most creative solution for road safety.
In the small fishing town of Ísafjörður, Iceland, an exciting development in pedestrian crossing safety has just popped up – almost literally. A new kind of speed bumps has been painted that appears to be 3D by way of a cleverly-detailed optical illusion.
Not only does the innovative design give foot-travelers the feeling of walking on air, but the 3D painting also gets the attention of drivers, who will be sure to slow down their speed once they spot the seemingly floating ‘zebra stripes.’ Icelandic environmental commissioner Ralf Trylla called for its placement in Ísafjörður after seeing a similar project being carried out in New Delhi, India. With the help of street painting company Vegmálun GÍH, his vision of pedestrian crossing signs became a reality.
Scroll down to see photos of the fascinating installment taken by Ágúst G. Atlason of Gústi Productions, and let us know if you’d like to see one of these crosswalks in your own city.
More info: Gústi Productions, Vegmálun GÍH (Icelandic)
Image credits: Gústi Productions
Image credits: Gústi Productions
Image credits: Gústi Productions
Image credits: Vegamálun GÍH
Image credits: Linda Björk Pétursdóttir
Image credits: Vegamálun GÍH
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That SUV that came through at the end of the video, it didnt seem to phase him.
The video speeds up when the SUV goes through, you can tell because the people walking and riding bicycles also speed up.
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It should, because it can also save someone's life which is much more valuable than a bumper. If several dozen cars get rear ended by inattentive drivers, and someone's life is saved who would've otherwise been run over by one of those inattentive drivers, than that's a good thing. A driver slowing down before a crosswalk can never cause an "accident" because an "accident" means nobody was at fault. Inattentive driving is dangerous, and deadly. It's far safer for cars to crash into other cars then it is for them to crash into people.
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On my city they paint a blue heart were a person died due to a traffic accident. It is morbid but effective. Most drivers do slow down when they see the blue heart.
That SUV that came through at the end of the video, it didnt seem to phase him.
The video speeds up when the SUV goes through, you can tell because the people walking and riding bicycles also speed up.
Load More Replies... It should, because it can also save someone's life which is much more valuable than a bumper. If several dozen cars get rear ended by inattentive drivers, and someone's life is saved who would've otherwise been run over by one of those inattentive drivers, than that's a good thing. A driver slowing down before a crosswalk can never cause an "accident" because an "accident" means nobody was at fault. Inattentive driving is dangerous, and deadly. It's far safer for cars to crash into other cars then it is for them to crash into people.
Load More Replies... On my city they paint a blue heart were a person died due to a traffic accident. It is morbid but effective. Most drivers do slow down when they see the blue heart.
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