Sep 27, 2008 2:57 pm US/Central
Minn. Artist Targets Motorists With Quirky Signs
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS) ―
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Another sign features a bald man shaking his finger at drivers. There are pictures of mothers, kids, flowers, even images inspired by ancient cave walls.
CBS
Amy Driscoll loves living in St. Paul's Hamline-Midway neighborhood, except for the traffic. Folks passing through drive too fast.
Driscoll said, "35 to 40 miles per house isn't unusual. And there are a lot of kids around here, so that gets a little frustrating."
Sculptor Steven Woodward is used to making big pieces of art, like the big numbers outside the state revenue building or the Braille book at Travelers Insurance, reports CBS station WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.
His latest project is smaller in scale -- he's designed art made from the same materials as stop, yield and speed limit signs. A former artist-in-residence with the St. Paul Public Works department, Woodward came up with the idea of using art signs to slow down drivers.
"They're very serious, and some of them are very playful," said Woodward.
Among the sign designs are a dog alongside the word, "cat."
Another sign features a bald man shaking his finger at drivers. There are pictures of mothers, kids, flowers, even images inspired by ancient cave walls.
"I was really interested in making these things joyous and beautiful for the neighborhood, because it would be like going into your front yard for two months. It had better be good," Woodward said.
"I think they're kinda cool," said Driscoll. "Certainly as a pedestrian they make me stop and take a look and try and figure out kinda what the artist was trying to say."
The project costs $50,000. Half is from a non-profit, Public Art Saint Paul. The other half is matching money from a state arts fund. The Department of Public Works is covering the cost of the speed studies.
The signs are eye-catching and fun, but do they work?
To find out, Public Works tested traffic speeds with and without the artsy signs. The results weren't what Woodward had in mind.
"As I understand it, there was no change in traffic vehicular speeds whatsoever," he said.
Traffic on Hamline didn't change. With and without the signs, speeds were 33 miles per hour northbound and 34 miles per hour southbound. It was a similar story on Thomas Avenue. Eastbound speeds averaged 32 miles per hour with and without the signs. The westbound traffic slowed only slightly when the art signs were posted from 34 to 33 miles per hour.
It turns out the cool pictures worked as well as speed limit signs, and that's not saying much.
"People are busy. They're trying to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. We put speed limit signs, 30 miles per hour, folks don't observe those," said Traffic Engineer Paul St. Martin.
"I think it's a reflection of what happens to all of us when we get inside that car," Woodward said. "It's very disappointing actually."
What's disappointing to Driscoll is the time period when the city tested traffic. It was right during the state fair.
"We should have considered the State Fair and the additional traffic we have," St. Martin acknowledged.
Soon the signs move to George Street on St. Paul's West Side.
"I'm hoping traffic speeds will slow down," Woodward said. "What's it going to take to get us to slow down?... There's no need to be going fast."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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