WORCESTER, Mass. — Making it safer to walk in Worcester. That's the idea behind a new proposal for 3D crosswalks, an item raised in Tuesday night’s city council meeting, and already in place at a Medford school.
The way the crosswalks are painted make it appear there are large blocks in the road as you approach. Proponents of the crosswalks hope they encourage drivers to slow down and make it safer to cross the streets.
Engineers in Cambridge analyzing 3D crosswalks recently concluded they can be more of a safety hazard.
In one formal study, between 10-14% of drivers swerved upon seeing the markings, perhaps believing them to be real raised objects in the roadway.
A 3D painted crosswalk was installed two weeks ago at Brooks Elementary in Medford to get drivers to go slower.
"This concept has been used in several cities and countries. I think maybe we should look at it," Worcester City Councilor Konnie Lukes (D-At-Large) said.
Councilor Lukes says Worcester has already begun using art to solve problems like graffiti.
"I think it might be worth our while to paint, instead of buildings, maybe some of the street surfaces to see if this works," Lukes said.
Another city councilor told Boston 25 News she's in favor of the idea, especially for schools around pickup and dropoff times.
"We can't use speed bumps because of winter. If they had this and it has the illusion of this, people would automatically slow down," said Sarai Rivera, District 4.
She said a car crashed into a school playground two months ago.
Downtown, walkers, and drivers told Boston 25 News they’d give 3D crosswalks a chance.
But does it work? And at what cost and where would they be painted? These are all questions being examined by the city manager for the next month.