Vancouver Introduces Pilot Program For Pedestrian Safety: Bricks™

Since the tongue-in-cheek program was introduced not a single pedestrian has had a close call on the busy crosswalk.

Source: CBC

A crosswalk at the entrance to Granville Island in Vancouver has a new feature to help pedestrians cross safely — and it's not what you'd expect.

On either side of the crosswalk, pedestrians are invited to take a red foam brick that they can wave while crossing, to grab the attention of drivers.

"It's meant to be a joke, but it has a serious message underneath," says Mihai Cirstea, a volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver, a non-profit organization that aims to reduce traffic deaths and injuries in the region.

"It's super effective once [drivers] see you're holding a brick — like, oh yeah, I better stop and let this person go. So it gives the power back, kind of, to the pedestrian."

Cirstea says the April Fools' Day initiative was inspired by flag crosswalks in other municipalities, where pedestrians wave a flag as they walk through.

A really clever idea.

read more