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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Share on FacebookThat 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.
Well maybe drivers could try this weird thing called "not speeding"? I appreciate that it may be unfamiliar, but you can probably master it eventually.
Load More Replies...Apparently this one is in Kyrgyzstan that I found on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/21m2qm/cool_crosswalk_design_in_kyrgyzstan/ P8nZx0Z-59...7688df.jpg
My town could use this. New Jersey law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk but few even slow down. Last week, two girls my daughter knows were hit and the week before, a woman and her dog. Many others have escaped with just a bump. Personal entitlement and texting are getting out of control.
This will work for a very limited amount of time. Cute, but rather useless
It slows traffic because there are always people out in the road taking pictures. 12187813_1...804c62.jpg
It slows traffic because there are always people out in the road taking pictures. 12187813_1...da1dee.jpg
ate my comment about how the berg i live in has made the only street to shopping a school zone all day long 5 days a week so we creep along at 15 mph
In Britain we have three types of crossing one uses lights and is sometimes incorporated into lights at junctions some have motion sensors trained on the pavement but most have them trained on the traffic which unfairly advantages motorists. Another is a subway sometimes they get flooded The third is the oldest type and called a zebra crossing because of the white stripes. These also have a flashing light on a pole on each side of the road, called a Belisha Beacon after the person who invented them This alerts drivers some distance away that there is a crossing. I like the Zebra Crossing because the lights often take some time to change if there is traffic whereas placing your foot on the edge of the zebra crossing tells drivers of your intention to cross and most will stop for you if they are a safe distance away. much more civilized I think than having drivers screech to a halt at lights when they have been behind a bus or lorry.
"Since 2008 the deaths of pedestrians in traffic have increased 41 percent, with more than 6.000 fatalities per year. " you say- where does this refer to? I can't imagine it applies everywhere.
I think it makes for a good behavioral study. They can watch reactions, change the paint if needed and then determine if they need a real one after that and how it should be designed. Kind of rapid prototyping. I do worry though that someone might veer off the side because it looks like it's floating almost. Would be good to see exactly what it looks like from the windshield of a car.
This is going to confuse exactly once per driver on that road and then be totally pointless. Nice art, looks beautiful, but will do nothing to slow down anyone in the long term. :P Also anyone from the region want to give us an update on how many accidents this caused?
This is going to confuse exactly once per driver on that road and then be totally pointless. Nice art, looks beautiful, but will do nothing to slow down anyone in the long term. :P
It would be brilliant to have these on the road outside my house. It is a residential area with a primary school nearby but drivers think its ok to use the toad as a race course. The council have said that they will not built speed bumps until there is a fatality!
would be good to try that in chalk in the front of your house if you know anyone with talent.
Load More Replies...I live in Canberra, and our roads minister wouldn't bother with all that 3-D effect stuff. He would just stand the bricks about half a meter in the air. He really hates cars.
This is a great nudge. This, and quite a few others can be found over here: https://twitter.com/LarnerC/status/1004327518554525697
At 1:00 DEAD ON a car goes speeding over when there is a pedestrian waiting. Fail.
This is a brilliant concept but I think folk will realise quickly that it is an illusion. The guy in the grey car didn't slow at all. Loved the rocky music, who did it?
There's a pedestrian crossing sign to the right - so all's fair for cautious driving with the 3d image.
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. http://bomchinhhang.com/chi-tiet/may-thoi-khi-la-gi-ung-dung-cua-may-thoi-khi-nhu-the-nao-122.html
Stupid idea. Driver will slam brakes on then crawl along, potentially causing accidents and congestion, then everyone will get used to it and act normally. Attention-seeking silliness.
road looks scary sorry to say I would slam on the brakes.. OY!! 3D to much but an idea.
also in Italy http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/08/18/news/molinella_strisce_pedonali_rilievo-173320507/
Um, no. Someone’s going to see those at the last minute and swerve off the road to avoid them. And like any other forced perspective image, they only work from one point of view. Vehicles coming from the opposite direction see a chaotic jumble of shapes.
The d**k in the Disco kinda proves this sort of thing doesn't stop or slow down the idiots on our roads.
Isn't the problem with this obvious? It only works from one direction. It looks like messy nonsense if you're coming from the other direction. People's minds will reprogram after one week and it will no longer have its desired effect. Waste of taxpayer money. But that's Scandinavia for you.
Didn't seem to work as at the end of the video, an SUV goes screaming through the crosswalk
So bizarre, everytime someone steps or cycles on it it makes it look like they're superimposed/greenscreened
I don't know if self-driving cars use any image recognition in obstacle / lane detection (in addition to other sensors). But if they do, it might not be a good idea to paint the road with optical illusions. Otherwise, it looks cool!
Hey, Are these patented/copyrighted? Who can I contact? Even when the effect wears off for the locals, (along with the paint). It's still awesome art. And it may at least remind folks to slow down.
We are talking of Iceland (the country, not UK store that has more employees than the country of the same name) that has very few cars compared to most Cities with a larger population and more cars. I understand why they put it there, however, surely traffic is the least of their issues? The Discovery that went over the zebra crossing at the end didn’t slow down as the driver being a local knew it was fake, there again, so would the rest of the island. I suppose it’s a tourist stunt.
Yes, I would like to see these "things" in my town . Speed bums could occurr. We should put on the bill of it... 2
why don't they just teach people to cross the streets properly and ride a bike the right way too. oh thats right the duming down of our society is not just here its world wide
bobbycomfort.com is your source for slowing down and enjoying life.
when it comes to slowing down and enjoying life, bobbycomfort.com has all your primary needs met. who farted?
I think it's pretty cool. I just looked up pictures of the town and it's breathtaking!
What a brilliant idea! The main problem is that the locals will soon learn that it's actually flat and drive accordingly.
Check out the 1:00 mark. Where the car speeds over the crosswalk and almost hits a kid riding a bike in the middle of the street.
I think that this is cool and the painters must have some real talent. (Or maybe that's just me, I am an awful artist.) But I do think that this could cause some problems. On the happier note, the view from this town is beautiful and it is a cute little town. (from what I saw in the picture)
But then won't like kids actually just start playing on that and create actual accidents?
I found the exact spot on google street view. However, before the 3D cross walk was painted. https://www.google.com/maps/@66.0741302,-23.1211477,3a,83y,125.59h,100.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD3tPzkoCDn3bmnajPtRlbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I found the exact spot on Google street view, before the 3D installation. https://www.google.com/maps/@66.0741302,-23.1211477,3a,83y,125.59h,100.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD3tPzkoCDn3bmnajPtRlbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Wont people realize after the first time encountering it, or hearing about it on the news, that it is a 3d painting?And therefore not slow down?...
That has got to be the dumbest idea yet. Yeah lets freak out a driver operating a two ton vehicle and think they have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting something. You don't think that is going to do more damage than the dumbasses who refuse to look and wait for traffic before crossing, not to mention the thousand who refuse to look up from the phone to even pay attention to traffic? Ok we will see how this goes. I just hope everyone has awesome insurance to cover all these accidents that are going to happen. Wow
Is there any documentation showing that this type of crosswalk has reduced the number of incidents and will help with predestine crossings?
Load More Replies...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.
Well maybe drivers could try this weird thing called "not speeding"? I appreciate that it may be unfamiliar, but you can probably master it eventually.
Load More Replies...Apparently this one is in Kyrgyzstan that I found on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/21m2qm/cool_crosswalk_design_in_kyrgyzstan/ P8nZx0Z-59...7688df.jpg
My town could use this. New Jersey law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk but few even slow down. Last week, two girls my daughter knows were hit and the week before, a woman and her dog. Many others have escaped with just a bump. Personal entitlement and texting are getting out of control.
This will work for a very limited amount of time. Cute, but rather useless
It slows traffic because there are always people out in the road taking pictures. 12187813_1...804c62.jpg
It slows traffic because there are always people out in the road taking pictures. 12187813_1...da1dee.jpg
ate my comment about how the berg i live in has made the only street to shopping a school zone all day long 5 days a week so we creep along at 15 mph
In Britain we have three types of crossing one uses lights and is sometimes incorporated into lights at junctions some have motion sensors trained on the pavement but most have them trained on the traffic which unfairly advantages motorists. Another is a subway sometimes they get flooded The third is the oldest type and called a zebra crossing because of the white stripes. These also have a flashing light on a pole on each side of the road, called a Belisha Beacon after the person who invented them This alerts drivers some distance away that there is a crossing. I like the Zebra Crossing because the lights often take some time to change if there is traffic whereas placing your foot on the edge of the zebra crossing tells drivers of your intention to cross and most will stop for you if they are a safe distance away. much more civilized I think than having drivers screech to a halt at lights when they have been behind a bus or lorry.
"Since 2008 the deaths of pedestrians in traffic have increased 41 percent, with more than 6.000 fatalities per year. " you say- where does this refer to? I can't imagine it applies everywhere.
I think it makes for a good behavioral study. They can watch reactions, change the paint if needed and then determine if they need a real one after that and how it should be designed. Kind of rapid prototyping. I do worry though that someone might veer off the side because it looks like it's floating almost. Would be good to see exactly what it looks like from the windshield of a car.
This is going to confuse exactly once per driver on that road and then be totally pointless. Nice art, looks beautiful, but will do nothing to slow down anyone in the long term. :P Also anyone from the region want to give us an update on how many accidents this caused?
This is going to confuse exactly once per driver on that road and then be totally pointless. Nice art, looks beautiful, but will do nothing to slow down anyone in the long term. :P
It would be brilliant to have these on the road outside my house. It is a residential area with a primary school nearby but drivers think its ok to use the toad as a race course. The council have said that they will not built speed bumps until there is a fatality!
would be good to try that in chalk in the front of your house if you know anyone with talent.
Load More Replies...I live in Canberra, and our roads minister wouldn't bother with all that 3-D effect stuff. He would just stand the bricks about half a meter in the air. He really hates cars.
This is a great nudge. This, and quite a few others can be found over here: https://twitter.com/LarnerC/status/1004327518554525697
At 1:00 DEAD ON a car goes speeding over when there is a pedestrian waiting. Fail.
This is a brilliant concept but I think folk will realise quickly that it is an illusion. The guy in the grey car didn't slow at all. Loved the rocky music, who did it?
There's a pedestrian crossing sign to the right - so all's fair for cautious driving with the 3d image.
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. http://bomchinhhang.com/chi-tiet/may-thoi-khi-la-gi-ung-dung-cua-may-thoi-khi-nhu-the-nao-122.html
Stupid idea. Driver will slam brakes on then crawl along, potentially causing accidents and congestion, then everyone will get used to it and act normally. Attention-seeking silliness.
road looks scary sorry to say I would slam on the brakes.. OY!! 3D to much but an idea.
also in Italy http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/08/18/news/molinella_strisce_pedonali_rilievo-173320507/
Um, no. Someone’s going to see those at the last minute and swerve off the road to avoid them. And like any other forced perspective image, they only work from one point of view. Vehicles coming from the opposite direction see a chaotic jumble of shapes.
The d**k in the Disco kinda proves this sort of thing doesn't stop or slow down the idiots on our roads.
Isn't the problem with this obvious? It only works from one direction. It looks like messy nonsense if you're coming from the other direction. People's minds will reprogram after one week and it will no longer have its desired effect. Waste of taxpayer money. But that's Scandinavia for you.
Didn't seem to work as at the end of the video, an SUV goes screaming through the crosswalk
So bizarre, everytime someone steps or cycles on it it makes it look like they're superimposed/greenscreened
I don't know if self-driving cars use any image recognition in obstacle / lane detection (in addition to other sensors). But if they do, it might not be a good idea to paint the road with optical illusions. Otherwise, it looks cool!
Hey, Are these patented/copyrighted? Who can I contact? Even when the effect wears off for the locals, (along with the paint). It's still awesome art. And it may at least remind folks to slow down.
We are talking of Iceland (the country, not UK store that has more employees than the country of the same name) that has very few cars compared to most Cities with a larger population and more cars. I understand why they put it there, however, surely traffic is the least of their issues? The Discovery that went over the zebra crossing at the end didn’t slow down as the driver being a local knew it was fake, there again, so would the rest of the island. I suppose it’s a tourist stunt.
Yes, I would like to see these "things" in my town . Speed bums could occurr. We should put on the bill of it... 2
why don't they just teach people to cross the streets properly and ride a bike the right way too. oh thats right the duming down of our society is not just here its world wide
bobbycomfort.com is your source for slowing down and enjoying life.
when it comes to slowing down and enjoying life, bobbycomfort.com has all your primary needs met. who farted?
I think it's pretty cool. I just looked up pictures of the town and it's breathtaking!
What a brilliant idea! The main problem is that the locals will soon learn that it's actually flat and drive accordingly.
Check out the 1:00 mark. Where the car speeds over the crosswalk and almost hits a kid riding a bike in the middle of the street.
I think that this is cool and the painters must have some real talent. (Or maybe that's just me, I am an awful artist.) But I do think that this could cause some problems. On the happier note, the view from this town is beautiful and it is a cute little town. (from what I saw in the picture)
But then won't like kids actually just start playing on that and create actual accidents?
I found the exact spot on google street view. However, before the 3D cross walk was painted. https://www.google.com/maps/@66.0741302,-23.1211477,3a,83y,125.59h,100.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD3tPzkoCDn3bmnajPtRlbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I found the exact spot on Google street view, before the 3D installation. https://www.google.com/maps/@66.0741302,-23.1211477,3a,83y,125.59h,100.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD3tPzkoCDn3bmnajPtRlbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Wont people realize after the first time encountering it, or hearing about it on the news, that it is a 3d painting?And therefore not slow down?...
That has got to be the dumbest idea yet. Yeah lets freak out a driver operating a two ton vehicle and think they have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting something. You don't think that is going to do more damage than the dumbasses who refuse to look and wait for traffic before crossing, not to mention the thousand who refuse to look up from the phone to even pay attention to traffic? Ok we will see how this goes. I just hope everyone has awesome insurance to cover all these accidents that are going to happen. Wow
Is there any documentation showing that this type of crosswalk has reduced the number of incidents and will help with predestine crossings?
Load More Replies...
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