Charleston, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: The West Ashley Greenway in Charleston is an eight-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail, which is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. However, the greenway crosses several busy streets, leading to accidents between vehicles and pedestrians. To fix this, a team of volunteers created three artistic crosswalk murals, designed to calm traffic. They also installed signage which reminds drivers to look out for people crossing the roadway. Community members need to be able to get access to places without driving, and to feel safe when they're walking and biking, project director Katie Zimmerman said. Doing this even in small ways will get more people active and out of their cars.

Montgomery, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Drivers in Montgomery can't help but slow down when they approach the crosswalk on busy Mulberry Street. The crossing features solar-powered, pedestrian-activated crossing signals as well as a pavement mural -- all of which calm passing traffic and improve pedestrian safety. After calling on residents to submit their ideas for the mural, the City's traffic engineers painted the crossing to look like a troll bridge. Connecting a residential neighborhood to the local elementary school, the crosswalk depicts a wooden bridge with a mom, dad and baby troll hanging on its sides. The bridge allows students to safety get to school and also enables pedestrians to traverse Mulberry Street's many small businesses. We had about 30 designs submitted for the crosswalk and all of them were delightful, but the Hardy design made the whole selection committee smile, Lynda Wool, a senior planner for the city of Montgomery, told Design Alabama.

Wayne, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Wayne is a small town however, its population triples during the summer tourist season. The inflow of tourists brings with it more cars on the road, often traveling at faster speeds. To make the village's main street safer for both pedestrians and motorists, Aging at Home Wayne installed a crossing signal system. The signal system consists of a pedestrian crossing sign consisting of flashing beacons on both sides of the crosswalk. Pedestrians can now alert drivers when they're about to cross by pushing a button, which activates the lights.