Program designed by Perla Montelongo, Roberto Cárdenas and Claudia Hidalgo
Crosswalk Safety
How could we slow down cars at the intersection in front of our school?
During the summer of 2019, we took on the task of addressing the challenges around Altavista High School. Recognizing the pressing need for a safer pedestrian crossing at the boulevard in order to reach the school, we spent days walking, observing, and interviewing pedestrians in the area.
Our goal was to identify and address the issues and then find effective solutions to enhance safety. We prototyped various ideas, collaborated with the city's Transit Department, and ultimately designed and implemented a new road crossing, successfully activating the traffic lights for improved safety.
We began by trying to understand why drivers don't slow down and why they often become distracted. To achieve this, we visited the go-karts and put ourselves in the shoes of a driver.
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Then we went to the city's Transit Department to learn how ot avoid accidents.
Brainstorming time! We needed to come up with solutions. To boost creative thinking, we designed several brainstorming activities.
Like making LEGO models of the ideas, or using magazines to make unusual associations
We then make quick and cheap prototypes of various ideas
And collectively select one
The most voted idea was an eye-catching crosswalk that resembles crime scene shapes
We needed to make it bigger in order to test it in the real scenario
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It worked. So we asked the Transit Department for authorization and assistance, painting the final crosswalk
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This simple solution actually caused cars to reduce their speed, and students felt safer and more confident while crossing the road.