Pedestrians and cyclists are the two groups with the highest risk of injury in road traffic. A study from the USA shows how little it takes to noticeably reduce this risk. Basically, a paintbrush and paint are all you need.
In April this year, Bloomberg Philanthropies published a study entitled “Asphalt Art Safety Study”. The foundation, founded by the well-known US entrepreneur Michael R. Bloomberg, had analysed in cooperation with experts from the New York traffic consulting agency Sam Schwartz whether artwork painted on the roadway can increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. In fact, eye-catching designs not only increase the visibility of potential danger spots and cause motorists to drive more slowly, but also reduce the number of accidents and injuries.
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- Without additional paint on the road, pedestrians were often overlooked by motorists at this intersection in Kansas City.
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- Thanks to the painting, the area now looks completely different and is safer.
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- In this example, painting was not the only thing done. The curves were visually narrowed.
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- In addition, structural measures such as the installation of flower pots, bollards and embedding boulders were taken.
What was the subject of the study?
In some US cities, intersections and entire streets, centrally located or in residential neighbourhoods, have been artistically altered for several years. This ranges from painted intersections to artistically decorated zebra crossings to extended sidewalks and bicycle lanes that stand out from the uniform grey of the car lanes due to their special design.
Bloomberg’s study took a closer look at five such newly created distinctive places created in 2021. In addition, data from 17 already existing comparable asphalt projects from the states of Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York were included. The focus was on road safety at these locations.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies projects involved artists, but also children and other ordinary residents.
How did the researchers work?
To determine the effect of the artistic changes, the researchers first consulted historical accident data from state and local traffic authorities for each study site. To ensure that the quite different data sets could be compared with each other, they were extensively checked and given certain categories. For example, who was involved in an accident, at what time of day it happened and what visibility conditions prevailed played a role.
In a second step, the researchers analysed video recordings of the five corresponding intersections. This had been recorded over a period of 48 hours on the same days of the week. Of these 48 hours, the eight hours with the highest traffic volume were included in the study.
Examples from different cities in the USA for colour-paved bicycle lanes
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- “Bike Box” called stopping area for cyclists
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- Prominent part of a bicycle lane in Austin, Texas
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- Green-backed turn lanes in San Francisco, California
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- Choosing a darker shade of green for the bicycle lanes in New York City
What were the results of the study?
The detailed before-and-after comparison shows that this type of street art has a remarkable impact on traffic at the locations studied. On the basis of the 17 locations that have been in existence for a long time, the frequency of accidents is reduced by 17.3 percent. After painting, 49.6 percent fewer cyclists, pedestrians and scooter riders have an accident at the intersections. The proportion of accidents involving personal injury falls by 36.5 percent. These are impressive figures.
The video recordings, in turn, show to what extent pedestrians adapt their behaviour at the same time. They use zebra crossings much more often than before and enter bicycle lanes and car lanes less often to cross the road. This is very reassuring news for both cyclists and motorists. Furthermore, the researchers suspect that motorists act more cautiously at key sections of the road because bright colours encourage them to pay attention. Cyclists and pedestrians could be noticed more quickly.
More bicycle traffic and more understanding
At least occasionally, a connection between the redesign of an intersection and its subsequent use seems to be apparent. For example, employees of the city of Atlanta have determined that three times as many cyclists would frequent the intersection than before. The special thing about this is that the location was only given a different appearance, but was not changed structurally in any way.
In Atlanta as well as other places, the art projects have not only positively influenced the coexistence of the immediate residents, but also improved the interaction between citizens and official authorities.
However, the researchers do not consider the painting of intersections and pedestrian and bicycle lanes to be the ultimate solution for city traffic. In the results of the “Asphalt Art Safety Study”, they explicitly state that art can make a difference in protecting road users. However, it is not a substitute for protected bike lanes.
Things are getting greener in Germany
So far, Germany’s downtown intersections have not been so colourful. In general, however, coloured bicycle lanes are a hot topic in Germany as well. In Berlin, for example, a study is currently underway on the effects of green-paved bicycle lanes and protective lanes. In March 2021, the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection presented an interim report. It confirms a few observations from the study in the USA. According to the report, hardly any cyclists ride on the pedestrian path instead of the bicycle lane on redesigned sections. The proportion has fallen from 13 per cent to five per cent.
If other measures are added to the green colour, even more positive effects can occur. Wider bicycle lanes, clearer markings and new safety dividing strips on Werbellinstraße have led to cyclists now leaving more space to cars parked on the right. Presumably this also has something to do with “being able to leave”.
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- Example Werbellinstraße in Berlin: condition before the redesign
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- Later new with green bicycle lane, wider lane, more markings and distance to the right
The feeling is important
Speaking of letting go. Cars seem to let go of green-coloured bicycle lanes more often. According to the Senate Department’s interim report, the amount of time cars stop and park on the lane dropped by almost a third, at 31 percent. This could be one of the reasons why 70 percent of the participants in the accompanying survey said they now feel much safer on the bicycle lane. Well then, more colour please.
Old red and new green are combined on the Bavariaring in Munich.
Study: Asphalt Art Safety Study : Historical Crash Analysis and Observational Behavior Assessment at Asphalt Art Sites. – Bloomberg Philanthropies, 2022
Pictures: Bloomberg Philanthropies; National Association of City Transportation Officials; Radentscheid München; PGV-Alrutz GbR
