Art makes roads safer “by increasing the visibility of pedestrian areas and crossings” and “encouraging drivers to slow down”. This is the conclusion of a new study by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Sam Schwartz Consulting on impact of murals on asphalt and crossings to the safety of passers-by.
The team studied 17 points in all the US where asphalt has been decorated for over two years. The rates of car accidents after the artistic intervention were analyzed in comparison with the “simple” past. Findings: collisions with pedestrians or cyclists halved; injuries resulting in injuries reduced by 37%. A five-point video analysis showed that drivers gave pedestrian crossings 27% more priority; dangerous pedestrian-car interactions were reduced by 25%.
Bloomberg’s Asphalt Art Initiative is dedicated to promoting the safety benefits of decorated asphalt. The project, which they call “activating the roads”, focuses on roads, pedestrian areas and vertical infrastructure. To date, they have funded 42 public works of art in the US and Europe.
“Why not use projects like this to allow people to get involved in practice, to create the feeling that public space belongs to everyone,” Kate D. Levin asked in an interview with the New York Times last year. , a former NYC Department of Cultural Affairs executive who now oversees arts programs on behalf of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
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