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)