Clever crosswalk’s 3D paint job appears as a road block to stop drivers

Updated Apr 29, 2016

3DStreet1-1024x483

A new crosswalk design is being implemented in the state of Ahmedabad in India that brings drivers to a halt using an optical illusion.

According to reports from Wired and The Architect’s Newspaper, the design is the brainchild of mother and daughter Saumya Pandya Thakkar and Shakuntala Pandya. As you can see in the photo above, the crosswalk design is painted as a stretched out chevron design and appears as such when viewed from the side.

But when viewed from the approach of the crosswalk, it looks like four large raised barriers blocking the road. It doesn’t look very impressive in photos, but the optical illusion  has been so effective at slowing drivers to a stop that it has been adopted across Ahmedabad.

The AN report points out that though distinctive in its particular design, this 3D crosswalk isn’t the first. Similar crossings have been popping up in China for the last eight years with similar success.

In fact, one Chinese company is already selling a “stick-on” version of the 3D design that doesn’t have to be painted on. AN reports this solution is”made from flexible polymers, pigments and micro glass beads and apparently lasts for up to two years when applied to concrete, asphalt, cement and marble.”