With your help, Bike Fort Collins aims to bring the first Paint the Pavement project to the streets of Fort Collins beginning with the intersection of Canyon Ave., Sherwood St. and Magnolia St. We have selected this intersection as our first focus as it is an important artery in the town’s bicycle infrastructure and because the nature of the 5-point intersection creates confusing navigation for cyclists and motorists alike. (photo: Salt Lake City, UT)
Also known as “asphalt art” these projects are an artistic intervention focused on traffic calming, community building, and overall street beautification. The artistic application of paint to pavement not only brings art to public spaces, but also humanizes our urban landscape. “Paint the Pavement” projects are part of the larger “Tactical Urbanism” movement that is taking root in towns and cities all over the country. Tactical urbanism is a community led approach to rethinking how we interact with the built environment, reshaping an urban landscape with low-cost, creative and innovative place making techniques. Using these practices has the power to humanize our urban landscape and create safer spaces for active transportation.
Our efforts so far have brought some of the leading voices in the country to the table including Greg Raismen from the Oregon Bureau of Transportation, Mike Sule from Asheville on Bikes, and Ridhi D’Cruz of the Portland based, City Repair Project. From these conversations we have learned that the first step in a successful Paint the Pavement project is community engagement and collaboration. Over the next several weeks we will begin reaching out to all businesses, residents, and stakeholders in the Canyon/Sherwood/Magnolia intersection radius in preparation for our first virtual community brainstorming session to be held in mid February. (photo: St. Paul, Minnesota)
Please contact us at info@bikefortcollins.org if you would like to be included in this process and we will add you to our communication emails.
For more information on “Paint the Pavement” or “Asphalt Art” projects, the Asphalt Art Guide by Bloomberg Associates is a great resource.
Love it! Excited to see where this project goes.
I’m interested in being involved in actively participating in this project.
For anyone that’s interested, the City has also taken a look at this intersection and drawn a possible redo. It wouldn’t happen until there’s enough money in the budget for it, so it’s good that BFC is stepping in earlier. But it’s helpful to get a look at and see what the City is thinking. You can see the intersection on page 199 of the Downtown Plan document. https://www.fcgov.com/planning/downtown/pdf/2017_0518_DowntownPlan_no_appendices_11x17_Web.pdf
This sounds amazing!
Are you trying to calm and focus drivers and bikers or distract and confuse them with art?, color and moving lines on the streets???? THINK people!
Please join us in our community brainstorming sessions so that we can come up with a solution that works for everyone. Thanks so much for taking interest!
Little concerned the “art work” might be distracting to drivers. As it is, there is a lot to look out for.
How about considering an alley-route or other alternative to lavishly decorate?
We would love to have your input at our first community brainstorming session! I will be sure to let you know when that is.