Murals are no longer restricted to the many walls of Montreal, because one borough in the city is putting street art onto the street. Yes, Montreal is getting street art bike lanes, reports Global News.
Officially dubbed "safety art," this cyclist-and-pedestrian safety project is housed in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
READ ALSO:Montreal Could Be First City To Let Street Artists Paint Bike Paths
More specifically, the artwork is on Beaubien Street, and its colourful blue, red, and yellow pattern is meant to make drivers more alert of pedestrian zones.
The "street art bike lane" was designed by Montreal-based artist Peter Gibson, otherwise known as Roadsworth, who is no stranger to creating works of art on city streets.
Roadsworth is known for making murals on the road, and we've sprinkled some of his past work throughout this article.
Note, however, that the image attached to this article is not the "safety art" now on Beaubien street, but another piece of Gibson's street art. The tweet below by reporter Felicia Parillo will give you a look at what the first street art bike lane in Montreal really looks like.
‘Safety art’ on Rosemont intersections aims to keep cyclists safe. Tune into the full story at 5:30pm.https://t.co/gNm0sjqYzE
Not to brag, but we actually posed the idea of turning bike lanes into works of art over a year ago. Fortunately, at least one borough in Montreal listened... or came up with the idea on their own, which is admittedly more likely. Either way, we're pumped to see this type of project being launched in Montreal.
A post shared by Roadsworth (@roadsworth) on
That isn't to say everyone is on-board with Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie's latest effort to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
Some residents of the borough say that the safety art won't make much of a difference, and drivers won't pay attention. Others say that the $25,000 it cost to make the street-level mural should have been spent on repairing roads, not painting on them.
Whether or not the newly created safety art will make a difference on the rather busy (and sometimes hazardous for anyone not in a car) stretch of Beaubien remains to be seen.
A post shared by Só Arte Urbana ! (@pqnafranco) on
Hopefully, though, the project is a major success and we see more street art bike lanes across Montreal.
A new addition to Mural Festival perhaps? That might be wishful thinking, but our fingers are officially crossed.
