Take It Slow

It’s no secret that our lives move at an increasingly faster pace. Unfortunately, safety is too often a victim of people’s compulsion to move hastily. This especially applies to driving, where numerous unpredictable events can translate into vehicular or property damage, injuries or even fatalities. Yet, as strained government coffers squeeze even law-enforcement budgets, patrolling capabilities have become somewhat limited.

Thus, cities scramble to find cost-effective ways to promote public safety. St. Paul, MN civic leaders took a novel approach. In 2005, they commissioned Steven Woodward, a world-renowned sculptor who was then the city’s artist in residence, to produce a series of 37, artistic panels that were fabricated and installed similarly to roadside signs. He titled his concept, “The Art of Traffic Calming,” and embarked on creating a series of interactive signs that would captivate the driver – and, subtly motivate him to ease his foot on the accelerator. The $50,000 project was funded equally by Public Art St. Paul and a statewide arts fund.

Woodward sought to create “graphically charged” signs that with vibrant colors and imagery that evoke “the spirit of the first signs humans made on cave walls.” Woodward toured the area slated to receive his signs with a city public-works official and, after photographing the site in one-third-block intervals, positioned them to be prominent while not conflicting with existing signage.

“These photographs put a public face on public signage, which is normally devoid of such representation,” Woodward said. “All people photographed were community residents, so, in addition to attempting to promote safe driving, these signs remind us that of the connection between fellow neighborhood residents. This project was my own investigation into the ever-evolving concept of what a sign is, and how it can convey multiple meanings despite apparent simplicity.”

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In addition to local residents (both human and four-legged) of all ages, he also featured sculptures installed at a local park – and such seemingly mundane subjects as electrical outlets, toy blocks and rubber balls. St. Paul’s public-works department fabricated the signs by inkjet printing on 3M’s diamond- and engineer-grade signs and applying them to heavy-gauge aluminum panels. Local traffic engineers specified high-traffic residential areas where speeding drivers were a particular concern.

According to the city’s traffic study after the sign’s installation, they didn’t appreciably curb driving speeds through the area. However, Woodward thinks the sign program “expanded the dialogue of what it would take to get drivers to slow down. The project has received tremendous coverage, and I think it will lead to further creative initiatives to encourage safer driving.”

For more information about the artist, visit www.stevenwoodward.com.