Friday Feature: Pedaleo Seguro
Our first Friday Feature of 2011 is a cool project by Spanish collective Luzinterruptus called “Pedaleo Seguro“, or ‘Safe Biking’.
Frequent readers of the blog are aware of my penchant for topics related to urban subversion, for new readers – you’ll catch on. I think there is so much potential for people to play with their environment and bring more interest to the landscape, showcase parts of their city that get less attention, or highlight places and services that are missing. In the case of Padaleo Seguro, it is all three. The project was created to draw attention to the lack of safe cycling infrastructure in Madrid – the artists note that because of this, cycling is often more of a leisure activity than a viable mode of transportation.
The glowing, ephemeral lanes were created at night on three main streets in central Madrid, coming to life with the use of simple bicycle lights and spray painted stencils to denote their use.
I think urban subversion projects are most successful when they not only bring attention to things that are often overlooked (i.e. cycling infrastructure), but do so with a sense of whimsy. In the case of Pedaleo Seguro, the vision is particularly inspired and graceful – even though it is a clear alteration of existing infrastructure it all feels a bit magical and unobtrusive, like it was always meant to be this way. Hopefully one day it will.
Props go to Luzinterruptus for highlighting the need for safe cycling routes and illustrating how little space is actually required to create cycling lanes – and for doing so in such a delightful way.
Have a great weekend everyone!
** I first heard about this project through another great site: Pop Up City
