Crosswalk Art

Crosswalk art can help improve crosswalk and pedestrian visibility, as well as reinforce the community’s character through a public art installation. Though not considered a traffic control device, crosswalk art installations may reduce vehicle speeds and improve drivers’ attention. Crosswalk art installations are installed fully within the already-delineated white crosswalk markings.

Tampa, FL (Kittelson & Associates, Inc.)	Seattle, WA (Wikimedia Commons, Mrkent5780, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Program Goals This Project Type Meets

• Invite public use
• Improve business

Typical Applications

• At busy or distinguished downtown crosswalks, at crosswalks that need further enhancement and improved visibility, and at crosswalks where the community has expressed a desire and need for aesthetic enhancements.
• At intersections where there are existing pedestrian crossing markings (ladder striping)

Material Options

• Striping and Surface Treatments
  • Demonstration
    • Sidewalk chalk
    • Cornstarch paint
    • Tempera paint
    • Spray chalk
    • Spray paint
  • Pilot or RAPID Projects
    • Acrylic traffic paint
    • DLPM

Design Considerations

• Art must never encroach onto the existing white traffic stripes.
• Paint must be non-reflective and abide by the Federal Highway Administration’s crosswalk art color palette.
• Crosswalk art is not a traffic control device and should be designed to avoid confusion with any MUTCD traffic control device.
• Must not contain words, text, pictographs, advertisements, or logos and must not mislead drivers to wrongfully interpret any MUTCD traffic control device.
• Art should be designed in consistent, repetitive, and uniform patterns.
• Consider the pavement’s existing conditions and materials and how those will interact with the intended artwork.

Other Considerations

• Power washing the crosswalk, without interfering with the white paint, before installing the mural may help increase the longevity of the art.
• Consider reaching out to local community artists.
• For best results, install mural right after a roadway resurfacing project.
• Develop a crosswalk art removal strategy and consider having an agreement with agency partners.

Other Resources

• Asphalt Art Guide – Bloomberg Associates