New York, New York

Two days ago, the DOT (Department of Transport) unveiled the first of 216 safety signs featuring colorful artwork and haikus. The signs will be installed at a dozen high-crash locations near cultural institutions and schools citywide, using state money collected from DWI (driving while intoxicated) fines.

The DOT hopes that the “Curbside Haiku” initiative will draw attention to “the critical importance of shared responsibility among all street users to help keep New York City’s streets as safe as they can be.”

The series features 12 designs with accompanying haikus by poet John Morse, each one expressing a different safety message by focusing on one transportation mode. Half of the signs will be hung in pairs, with the image and haiku text appearing; the others feature an image with a QR code on the sign that lets New Yorkers “discover the safety message via their smart phones.” They’ll be displayed from now until next fall at a dozen hubs across the five boroughs…

See more haikus and read more here.

Thanks to my friend JuanMa Sepulveda for the link.