A group of UF students are hoping to give pedestrians a new reason to stop at intersections: colorful crosswalks.
For about three years, members of Students for the New Urbanism at UF and Gainesville city officials have sporadically discussed plans to paint crosswalks throughout the city, said Ethan Hudgins, a Student Government senator and the founder of SNU.
In addition to supplementing the street with something artistic, Hudgins (Architecture, Impact) said the crosswalk art will make intersections safer by causing drivers and pedestrians to slow down.
He said the project lost momentum at some point in the past, but he’s excited to see it through this Spring. He said he believes at least one crosswalk will be designed and painted before the semester ends.
“We’re trying to reorient how people think about road space,” the UF sustainability and the built environment senior said. “We’re taking back a little bit of the street for pedestrians, and I think that’s a very important statement to make.”
Hudgins, 22, said the organization will need less than $500 for the project and will request funds from SG. Some of that money will be devoted to the upkeep of the art, which will need to be repainted every two years.
The first crosswalk art installment would ideally be between Southeast Second Avenue and Southeast First Street in downtown Gainesville, Hudgins said.
The proposals for the crosswalk-art locations must be reviewed and approved by the city’s public works department, which hasn’t yet happened, said Chip Skinner, the department’s marketing and communications supervisor.
SG senator Brett Oehrle (District B, Impact) who believes this project will improve the overall ambiance of Gainesville, said he hopes that students in the College of the Arts will help in designing the crosswalks. If the project is successful throughout the city, he hopes UF can do something similar on campus crosswalks.
“Art is a really important part of everyone’s lives and improves the aesthetic of the town,” the 20-year-old UF public relations junior said. “It’s just a really creative, cool way to get people involved in improving the city with the arts.”
Oehrle said he’s looking to bring about 10 different students onto the project, with at least one or two being art majors. The project organizers are asking those who are interested to contact them through the organization.
“I’m very for promoting the arts and finding avenues for people to express themselves through art,” he said. “It’s hard for artists to get their work out there, so I think this is a creative way to give them an opportunity to do that.”
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