Groundswell and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) designed the Traffic Safety Sign Residency Program to engage public school students in exploring traffic safety information through the creation of original street signs. Signs designed collaboratively by students at each of our partner schools are digitally rendered by Groundswell artists, fabricated by NYC DOT’s Sign Shop, and temporarily installed in local locations students identify as in need of traffic signage. Through this program, students learn how signs and symbols can work to communicate ideas and explore visual art techniques to develop graphic images. These signs then help increase safety awareness and prevent accidents in locations around each school community.
 
The Groundswell youth artists at IS 230 created a sign based on the game Scrabble. Letter tiles on the Scrabble board indicate words related to traffic safety. “Vision Zero” reads across the bottom, referencing the initiative to reduce traffic-related deaths to zero. Around the board, a child waits to cross the street.