Medford Unveils Second 3D Crosswalk Outside School Thanks To Students' Idea
MEDFORD (CBS) – A design to slow drivers down is taking off in Medford.
Two Medford elementary school students came up with the idea for a 3D crosswalk. It was such a good idea that the city unveiled its second one Monday.
Isa and Eric, students at Brooks Elementary School, came up with the idea when Eric's younger brother was nearly hit by a car near the school. The crosswalk is an illusion that appears to pop up as you drive closer to it, designed to make sure drivers slow down.
In April, the city had one painted near Brooks Elementary. On Monday a second one was unveiled at Roberts Elementary School.
"It was kind of like a dream come true because we thought at first it wouldn't happen but that it had happened and it was like really amazing," Isa told WBZ-TV Monday. "We were looking for something that wasn't really a speed bump because we had learned that they weren't eco-friendly and they also costed a lot of money."
Eric and Isa were members of Medford's Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility group. Mayor Stephanie Burke met with the students about their idea, and helped them get approval from the Medford Traffic Commission.
"They presented these pictures and plans with websites showing me 3D sidewalks that were in Iceland and around the world and it was such a cool idea that I was like, let's think about this and see if we can pull it off," said Burke.
Local artist Nate Swain painted the designs onto the road to make the children's idea a reality.