The Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles has taken a colourful approach in tackling road safety around one of its busiest areas. But the effectiveness of the initiative remains yet to be seen.
Over the last few days, road users may have noticed a new addition by the Parvis of Saint-Gilles. Blue and yellow circles have been painted on the Chaussée de Waterloo at the entrance of the lively area, which is home to many bars, restaurants, and markets.
As it is considered a "meeting zone", pedestrians are allowed to use the full public highway around the Parvis, which includes crossing a road to visit the church side. Here, road users have to adhere to the 20 km/h speed limit in this zone.
The colourful polka dots have been designed by the commune to remind road users of the speed limit. It is also meant to encourage them to drive slower, making the area safer and more pleasant for locals, the municipality explained in a social media post.
"This has been an old project since the renovation of the Parvis. In the Highway Code, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are required to share the space," Mayor of Saint-Gilles Jean Spinette (PS) told The Brussels Times. "Unfortunately, the signage is not always respected - it's the blue rectangle, with people running and walking and children."
The mayor explained that idea soon arose of adding additional signage to the careful triangle that was already on the ground. The road had been recently resurfaced after having been damaged by buses. Once this work had been completed, Saint-Gilles Deputy Mayor for Mobility and Public Spaces Catherine Morenville (Ecolo) and her team were able to put these paintings on the ground.
"The colours are yellow and blue, the colours of the municipality, the region and our club, l'union [football team Union Saint-Gilloise]. It's a way of drawing the attention of motorists to vulnerable users crossing the road," Spinette explained.
'Nudging'
These sort of projects, where visual elements are used on the road to manage traffic, are not new, according to the Vias spokesperson, Stef Willems.
Typically, these initiatives work by 'nudging' motorists to follow certain traffic behaviours. An example are 3 dimensional pedestrian crossings, which trigger motorists to be more cautious due to the unusual visual.
However, these approaches are usually unsuccessful in the long term. "It causes people to slow down but only once or twice. Once they know what they are, it no longer works," said Willems.
Example of a 3D pedestrian crossing. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Willems is not familiar with the impact of specifically using yellow and blue circles, he says the Saint-Gilles project is similar to asphalt art projects previously tested for road safety.
"The idea is that marking on the road like that led to fewer accidents, which is not the same as lower speed," explained Willems. "The question is whether these yellow and blue circles are enough," he added.
Nonetheless, Willems underscores that asphalt art-like projects like these tend to only work when applied sporadically. "If all streets were decorated like this, it would no longer work," said Willems, "If the effect had not already disappeared through habituation." he added.
A colourful solution to traffic. Credit: The Brussels Times
The project has received some initial mixed reactions on social media since its announcement. Some welcomed the idea and hoped it would bring results. Meanwhile, others emphasised the need to address other issues first, such as improving the conditions of the roads or focusing on security issues in the area.
Regardless, the municipality has stated that tackling road safety will not end with the polka dotted roads.
The Saint-Gilles municipality has announced that it will install speed cameras to help enforce speed limits, as a way to "compliment" the Parvis' colourful addition.
