The crosswalk makes you stop and think, with the emphasis on the stop.
“I love it! It looks amazing,” said 10-year-old Isa. “Exactly how I pictured it and more.”
It’s an amazing illusion painted on the driveway of the Brooks Elementary School in Medford, Massachusetts that pops right up at you.
Isa said, “When you’re walking across you can tell it’s painted but what we hope is when you’re driving down you’ll see it as, like 3D, three dimensional, so it looks real.” And that will encourage drivers leaving the school to stop.
The unique crosswalk is the brainchild of Eric and Isa. They wanted to do something when Eric’s brother had a close call with a car
Isa said, “We were thinking of a way we could do something to help make the street safer.”
The kids are part of the Center for Citizenship in Medford, an organization that encourages young people to get involved.
Teacher Mike Coates said, “I think it’s great. It certainly would make me stop.”
Coates is a teacher and advisor for the center. He said the kids worked with the city’s bureaucracy to make the project happen. “This is a great example of them sticking to an idea, and going through all the steps and talking, in this case, to all the adults and all the powers that be,” Coates explained.
It took a year before the project got the green light.
Mayor Stephanie Burke said, “Books don’t teach you this. Civic engagement is something that you see happen, you see success and then you try to emulate it and do more.”
Isa said, “Yeah, hope it works!”
The actual painting was done by local artist Nate Swain.
The city plans to add 3D crosswalks to the other three elementary schools in Medford by this summer.
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