The "I Found My Thrill...On Cabbage Hill" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing at the intersection of West Strawberry, West Vine, and South Mulberry Streets in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  This section of the Red Rose City is known as Cabbage Hill, with an obvious reason for the name, but that won't be discussed today.  The intersection is five-way and a confusing place for both automobiles as well as pedestrians.   But, it is an integral intersection to the neighborhood and city-wide traffic circulation.  So, it recently was decided that it be made an "Artful Intersection" with street murals to serve as a reflection of the life and culture of the neighborhood.  It is expected to expand the perceived public space to encompass the street; increase awareness and safety of alternative forms of transportation, and boost community development.  Residents of the area were asked to respond to a community survey to provide input on pedestrian safety and the artwork for the intersection.  

Dangerous intersection in Kansas City, Missouri

One similar intersection is in Kansas City, Missouri which was made safer through an "Artful Intersection" project with street murals to fill the corners of the intersection.  So...what exactly is an "Artful Intersection"?  Artful intersections connect artists and neighborhoods to work together to create street murals in their neighborhoods.  The help of residents was asked to help with the painting of the artwork at the intersection. I arrived at the intersection on a Sunday shortly after noon to see what the artwork at the intersection looks like.  Traffic was very low on the bright, sunny afternoon and I easily found a parking spot right next to one of the new paintings.  At one time this intersection of five roadways was filled with parked cars on both sides of what are both two-way as well as one-way roads merging together.  As I approached I was amazed that I could see in all directions, since the cars were not allowed to park on the newly painted artwork that fills the intersection.

A final design had been developed and the artwork that I found at the intersection today looked very similar to what I had seen online a few weeks ago.  I can see how pedestrian safety will be greatly increased since I had no trouble walking across the intersection after parking my car.  The colors were bright and at this time orange cones cover all areas that had recently been painted.  Once the cones are removed, cars will have to stay off the painted areas to keep safety at a maximum at the intersection.  Neat idea to give maximum safety at the intersection, provided the cars stay off the painted sections of the intersection.  Time will tell!   And, what makes the intersection so unique is the fact that Lancaster residents made it all happen.  Great job!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - The photos that follow are photos I took to show what the design looks like and how much extra space is now at the intersection of the busy intersection that has 5 merging streets.