Pavement Art Makes Streets Safer. Let St. Pete Lead.

There has been lots of discussion and opinions recently about the new FDOT memo regarding pavement art.  Today, I want to share this important update and some facts to consider.

The Florida Department of Transportation recently moved to ban pavement art across the state, claiming safety concerns, but that claim doesn’t hold up. Several studies show that art on our streets can improve safety, especially for people walking and biking.

The Asphalt Art Safety Study, led by Bloomberg Philanthropies, found that intersections with artistic treatments saw a drop in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.

According to local transportation advocacy group, Activate St. Pete, The Asphalt Art Safety Study analyzed before-and-after data of crash rates at 17 pavement art locations, including seven in Florida, and performed video analysis of street user behaviors to determine these key findings:

• Road user behavior clearly improved across the observed study sites in the after-analysis periods.
• On average, areas featuring pavement art experienced a 17.3% reduction in crashes, underscoring the importance of pavement art

Here in St. Pete, our Downtown Mobility Study conducted by local MPO, Forward Pinellas, reflects the same data trend. According to Forward Pinellas, “the painted intersection at Central Ave & 5th Street, has seen a 73% decrease in crashes since 2016.”

According to FDOT assistant secretary Will Watts, who released the official FDOT memo citing this new legislation on June 30th, this same painted intersection will now be considered illegal and if not removed, will be cause for withholding of state funds.

Street art, creative crosswalks, and thoughtful design are tools we can effectively use to calm traffic and make neighborhoods more walkable, welcoming, and alive. This isn’t just about paint. It’s about people. It’s about local communities having the power to create streets that reflect our values - safe, vibrant, and full of life.

To better understand what impact this ban will have on our community, I spoke with Jenée Priebe, founder of No Good Deeds Art. She has managed countless public art projects across the state and even presented on asphalt murals at the 2023 Florida Association of Public Art Professionals conference. Her words cut to the heart of the issue:

“Research on a national level has shown again and again that pavement art increases safety – particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. We followed every city and FDOT regulation when creating the ground mural at Central and 5th, which is part of the national safety study.”

As a local business owner and operator, I believe in local leadership. I believe in data. And I believe in listening to our community to decide the best path forward. When both the data and the vibes point us toward beautiful curated painted intersections, this is something that should be advocated for.

Let St. Pete continue leading the way with creativity, care, and good data.