New artwork will soon be spotted around town at pedestrian crosswalks as part of the Activate Alliance Crosswalk program. The Activate Alliance committee is focused on implementing strategies to promote citizens to walk, bike and roll as active community members.
The program is heading toward the next phase after the Alliance City Council members voted to approve the proposal, donation of materials and volunteer hours during its regular meeting last Tuesday.
Box Butte General Hospital Wellness Coordinator and Active Alliance member Daniel Newhoff said, “Essentially, the whole purpose of that is to improve walkability in the community of Alliance. Essentially, this specific crosswalk initiative is a project that grew. We’re trying to really increase the safety, so we want people to be active in the city of Alliance.”
Earl Jones, Activate Alliance member said in a document shared at the council meeting, “With the U.S. obesity rate over 40 percent, the highest ever recorded, it is important to find policy solutions that create more opportunities for people to be physically active. As a public official and member of Activate Alliance, I feel like we make a real difference in our community by making outdoor recreation safer and making people more aware of locations where people may be walking or riding bicycles.”
Current proposed locations for decorated crosswalks include 10th Street on the path, Box Butte Avenue and 16th Street (which has four crosswalks), Emerson Avenue by the Berean Church and by schools (specifically near the Alliance Middle School). The committee has also proposed new crosswalk locations on Emerson Avenue by Laing Lake and the corner of Box Butte Avenue and 21st Street.
According to the document, “Creative crosswalks highlight marked pedestrian crossings and are a low-cost, traffic-calming mechanism to reduce traffic speeds and volume. In addition to being fun, they can raise awareness of pedestrian safety. Research shows drivers tend to notice patterns and bright colors more than the standard white paint on asphalt. Cities report since upgrading crosswalks, vehicles slow down and pedestrians feel that the street is not just for vehicles, it’s for pedestrians as well.”
Each pedestrian crossing sign is estimated to cost $52.64 or $119.95 for a fluorescent type, with oil-based paint estimated to be at $45 per gallon and a total of about $500 per crosswalk.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will pay for the project through a Walkable Communities grant that would be awarded to the Panhandle Public Health District. According to the document, PPHD has committed $2,000 to initiate expenses associated with the project with funds anticipated in 2022 as well.
Community members and local artists Kathy Worley and Kyren Gibson have agreed to help paint the crosswalks. Gibson has had experience with a similar project that happened in Lincoln.