The Parkside neighborhood has a whimsical new addition as of this week. A crosswalk mimicking the markings of a zebra has been painted at the corner of Parkside and Russell. Community members came together to tackle the issue of traffic calming in an effective and artistic way. For years neighbors have been looking for ways to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the street. The added exposure for The Zoo is pretty incredible as well.
Over the years, there have been talks of grassroots art campaigns of these types. A crosswalk effort almost came to fruition on Grant Street a few years ago. Allentown does have a temporary colorful crosswalk that was laid down during a pro-bike event. But the one that we see here is the first real guerrilla, or in this case “gorilla”, effort that has been successful due to its permanent nature. It would be great to see additional crosswalks in the neighborhood painted in similar wildlife motifs.