WHY THIS MATTERS

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On November 15, 2014, a cyclist lost his life at the intersection of Lieja Street and Chapultepec Avenue, when a bus collided with him. The incident infuriated many citizens as it occurred at a crossing already notorious for being one of the most dangerous in the city, despite it being a heavily transited route for all modes of transport. This incident is part of a bigger problem. In Mexico City alone, 871 people lose their life in the over 16,000 accidents that occur every year. Over half of those fatal victims are pedestrians.

      

        WHAT WE DID ABOUT IT

 

In a city of 14 million people, allowing safe and sustainable mobility is a challenge that can only be fought with strategic collaborations among key actors. We decided to team up with a number of government agencies and civil society actors in order to carry out a practical intervention at the intersection, to ensure the safety of all road users in that targeted area and promote a culture of inclusive roads.

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        OUR INNOVATIVE APPROACH

 

On the 2015 International Pedestrian Day, we implemented our Safe Crossing Campaign, composed of 4 elements:

• Raising awareness: we spoke to bus drivers to have them reflect upon the urgency of changing road culture. We also places stickers on buses to raise awareness about the broader issue at hand.

• Art as a medium: we painted an artistic zebra crossing as an incentive for pedestrians and cyclists to cross at that specific safe spot.

• Communication campaign: Our #CompartamosCalle (Let’s share the street) campaign involved team members telling pedestrians and cyclists about the safest way of crossing the intersection and sharing information with car drivers about road user priorities and the importance of sharing the street with all users.

• Traffic lights adaptation: we changed the traffic light synchronization in order to protect cyclists and pedestrians by giving them priority crossing.

        OUR VISION

We want to establish successful and strategic case studies that allow all road users to coexist in a safe and peaceful manner in all cities.