frizzlefry
08-08-2011, 11:11 AM
Wow. When I was a kid, I was told to stay off the street. Parent/children entitlement seems to be getting out of hand. Plus, what happens when someone is distracted by all the "art" and plows into a kid?
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/energy-resources/Street+aims+ensure+motorists+picture/5217851/story.html
Defying all conventional prohibitions, the kids of Southwood played in the middle of the road Saturday — with paints no less — and all under the watchful eyes of parents, police and even Ald. Brian Pincott.
Armed with brushes dipped to the knuckles in hues of red, yellow, purple and black, the children painted rainbows, ladybugs and stick figures on the intersection at Sackville Drive S.W.
Most of the would-be Picassos even managed to colour the asphalt evenly, staying within the chalk outlines.
Not only was the “Paint the Pavement” event a chance for an outing, police and community organizers say the chirpy street graffiti will serve as a low-cost traffic-calming measure.
Drivers will “see the pictures and the street, in particular, and they’ll slow down and be more conscious of where they are,” said Rob Dickinson, a board member with the Southwood Community Association.
The intersection off Elbow Drive sits near a school, preschool and a day-care in a wide-laned older suburb filled with grass fields and lazy sidewalks that beckon children to dart and play.
“We get complaints throughout the neighbourhood for speed,” he said.
Sgt. Stephen Mann said the cute caricatures could prove more effective than forgettable signs or pricey speed bumps and roundabouts.
“Signs sometimes go unnoticed, especially in residential areas where people travel everyday,” he said.
Residential neighbourhoods in the southwest are facing more cut-through traffic and speeding vehicles than ever, as commuters seek to escape increasingly crowded arteries.
Yet the traffic calming benefits of the paintings were secondary to the joys of handing children a bucket of paint, said Pincott.
This is the 12th Paint the Pavement event held in the city, he added.
Pincott stole the idea after reading about similar initiatives in Minneapolis.
“It’s a side benefit to me that they calm traffic. They do remind drivers that people live in the neighbourhood,” he said. “The main benefit is that you get the neighbourhood out on a nice day together.”
The adult world, peppered with talk of community building and traffic flow, were beyond the concern of 7-year-old Cameron Law. Taking a break from adding a red, smiling mouth to a sun wearing black glasses, he said he was there “because it’s fun painting.”
He decided to stick to the drawings on the pavement, avoiding wayward scribbles and the temptation to add his name because “that wouldn’t look really good.”
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/energy-resources/Street+aims+ensure+motorists+picture/5217851/story.html
Defying all conventional prohibitions, the kids of Southwood played in the middle of the road Saturday — with paints no less — and all under the watchful eyes of parents, police and even Ald. Brian Pincott.
Armed with brushes dipped to the knuckles in hues of red, yellow, purple and black, the children painted rainbows, ladybugs and stick figures on the intersection at Sackville Drive S.W.
Most of the would-be Picassos even managed to colour the asphalt evenly, staying within the chalk outlines.
Not only was the “Paint the Pavement” event a chance for an outing, police and community organizers say the chirpy street graffiti will serve as a low-cost traffic-calming measure.
Drivers will “see the pictures and the street, in particular, and they’ll slow down and be more conscious of where they are,” said Rob Dickinson, a board member with the Southwood Community Association.
The intersection off Elbow Drive sits near a school, preschool and a day-care in a wide-laned older suburb filled with grass fields and lazy sidewalks that beckon children to dart and play.
“We get complaints throughout the neighbourhood for speed,” he said.
Sgt. Stephen Mann said the cute caricatures could prove more effective than forgettable signs or pricey speed bumps and roundabouts.
“Signs sometimes go unnoticed, especially in residential areas where people travel everyday,” he said.
Residential neighbourhoods in the southwest are facing more cut-through traffic and speeding vehicles than ever, as commuters seek to escape increasingly crowded arteries.
Yet the traffic calming benefits of the paintings were secondary to the joys of handing children a bucket of paint, said Pincott.
This is the 12th Paint the Pavement event held in the city, he added.
Pincott stole the idea after reading about similar initiatives in Minneapolis.
“It’s a side benefit to me that they calm traffic. They do remind drivers that people live in the neighbourhood,” he said. “The main benefit is that you get the neighbourhood out on a nice day together.”
The adult world, peppered with talk of community building and traffic flow, were beyond the concern of 7-year-old Cameron Law. Taking a break from adding a red, smiling mouth to a sun wearing black glasses, he said he was there “because it’s fun painting.”
He decided to stick to the drawings on the pavement, avoiding wayward scribbles and the temptation to add his name because “that wouldn’t look really good.”