The first painting is near the end of the road, just beyond the bridge you cross coming from Stratumsedijk. “It did catch my eye when I crossed the bridge. But when you cycle down the bridge you do tend to go fast”, another cyclist says. Although she passed it at considerable speed, she does think the artwork will help. “I did notice it and I did slow down”.
Officially cycling is only permitted between 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. At other times this is a pedestrian area. “I never knew that”, says the cyclist.
Striking
It may not reduce traffic speed, people do like the decorative aspect. “It is certainly striking”, says a passer-by. “I do not know if it will get people to slow down, though. But the 3D effect is nice”.
So not everyone is convinced that the artworks will have their intended effect. One bar guest even thinks the paintings create the illusion of an actual road. A pedestrian area never has zebra crossings, as wheeled traffic is not supposed to use it”, he thinks. And he may well have a point, as a few moments later two tourists use the three-dimensional zebra crossing to get to the other side of the asphalt road.
Mistake
The asphalt has not been there long, and is part of the refurbishment of the city centre. The municipality thinks the choice to use asphalt was a mistaken one. . Next year it will be replaced by a different kind of paving, one that will signal to cyclists that they should reduce their speed. In the interim, the 3D art will do this job.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Greta
