Check out the Traffic Calming Signs!

On Wednesday, June 24 new traffic signs went in along Third Street between Birmingham and White Bear Avenues. These unusual signs are designed to create an environment that makes people wonder what is going on and therefore SLOW DOWN as they are driving down the street. The signs don't stay up for too long (2 months) because people get used to them being there and their effect wears off. So the city then reuses the signs and moves them to another location. Their goal is improved safety through slower traffic speeds and they have been proven extremely effective.

These signs were funded by Public Art St. Paul, a nonprofit organization that focuses on bringing art to the urban environment. They were DONATED to the city for use and reuse. We are the first neighborhood on the eastside to benefit from this project. And it will tie into another traffic calming project called "Paint the Pavement" that will go in later this year off of Third Street on Margaret. The Paint the Pavement project is funded by a small grant from Public Art St. Paul and by the neighbors who will actually put in the art work.

These approaches have been proven to be a more effective way to slow traffic than stop signs and other engineered methods. Check out David Engwicht's site for more information on these methods.