Would You Break for This Speed Bump?

According to an online article posted on DiscoverMagazine.com, a new speed bump in Canada has become quite a controversy. The article reports that West Vancouver officials are installing an optical illusion painting on the pavement near a local elementary school. The 2-D painting is made to look like a child in the middle of the road reaching for a ball. At about 100 feet away, the 2-D painting shifts to a 3-D appearance to the driver, who is then expected to slow down and proceed with caution. This “Pavement Patty” is causing concern from some individuals who feel that the fake child will desensitize drivers to children in the roads, posing a potential problem if a real child is in the street and a driver mistakes him/her for a pavement illusion.

Is this going to cause a media crisis for the city officials and the schools? Or could it actually make drivers slow down and pay closer attention to the road? What do you think?

Published on: September 14, 2010