"Carry Bricks While Crossing the Crosswalk" Unique Experiment in Canada... Domestic Adoption?

As Citizens Respond Strongly, Direct Installation at Intersection
Safety on the Road Is Not Only Pedestrians' Responsibility

A pedestrian traffic accident prevention campaign that started in Vancouver, Canada is receiving great response from netizens worldwide. On the 31st of last month, the Canadian civic group 'Vision Zero Vancouver' announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it would launch a new pilot project and unveiled the 'The Pedestrian Bricks Crossing System.' Vision Zero Vancouver is a Canadian civic organization aiming to reduce traffic accident deaths and injuries to zero.

On the 31st of last month, the Canadian civic group 'Vision Zero Vancouver' announced on X (formerly Twitter) that they are launching a new pilot project and unveiled the 'Pedestrian Brick Crossing System.' [Photo source=SNS]

In the campaign introduction video, the group explained, "Carrying a pedestrian brick while crossing the crosswalk can attract the attention of distracted drivers and allow pedestrians to cross comfortably on busy roads." The project method described by the group consists of four steps. The first is 'picking up a brick,' the second is 'looking both ways on the road,' the third is 'shaking the brick up and down while making eye contact with drivers,' and the fourth is 'placing the brick in the basket on the opposite side after crossing the road.'

As the campaign received strong public support, the group installed this system at the intersection of Nelson Street and Nicola Street in Vancouver’s West End, known as the busiest intersection in the area. This project originated as a response to the installation of buckets containing red flags at the same intersection last year for citizens to hold while crossing the street. At that time, citizens criticized the flag installation, saying it had no effect on reducing traffic accidents and unfairly placed the responsibility for road safety solely on pedestrians.

As the public responded enthusiastically, the organization installed this system at the intersection of Nelson Street and Nicola Street in Vancouver West End, known as the busiest intersection in the Vancouver West End area.
[Photo source=SNS]

Local media introducing this campaign evaluated, "The most outstanding aspect of this campaign is that it attracted people's attention to an important (road traffic safety) issue, stimulated conversation, and added humor to provoke discussion." Netizens responded to the project with comments such as "Carrying a brick seems psychologically effective," "Ironically, this is the best Vision Zero campaign I have seen," and "Drivers will definitely notice the bricks."

The 'Vision Zero' principle promoted by these organizations refers to an ethical principle aiming to create a system with no deaths or injuries when establishing modern road and traffic systems. The Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements explained the term as follows: "In the existing road system, the responsibility for traffic safety is placed entirely on individual users. In contrast, Vision Zero acknowledges human error and aims to create a safe road environment for all road users."

Previously, cities such as Vancouver and Edmonton in Canada have adopted and applied the Vision Zero principle. According to the 'Vision Zero Street Lab Guidebook' published by the Edmonton authorities, representative related projects include 'crosswalk painting,' 'curve widening,' and '20 km/h speed limits on shared roads.' Vision Zero Vancouver emphasized, "Every year, 100 people die in traffic accidents in Vancouver alone," and stated, "Only by demanding authorities to design a traffic system that prioritizes safety can we achieve 'zero deaths (0).'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.