Use on the road: Saanich creates the first road murals

On Saturday (August 13) morning, volunteers and neighbors took to the streets to install Saanich’s first road mural at Falaise Crescent.

With the help of the Falaise Community Association, the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network, and local artist Desire Shelley, a volunteer group of community members, a mural was painted on the road surface adjacent to Falaise Park.

Shelley, who designed the mural, worked with her neighbors to develop a design that reflected the identity of the street, eventually settling on a yellow mountain violet motif.

The rare flower was chosen because Falaise Park happens to be one of the few places in the entire region where the species can be found. Artist and longtime resident Tanith Warburton first spotted the flowers growing in the park nearly 60 years ago and alerted the Department of the Environment. It now houses a plaque honoring her memories of the park.

“I had heard about this flower, but I wanted to see what the community was talking about the most,” Shelly said. “And the flowers actually bloomed quite a lot.”

“The purpose of this mural is what is happening right now. That’s it, we’re bringing people together to talk about and meet their neighbors.Anyone who’s ever touched a brush will feel some investment in this.”

However, the mural actually serves an important purpose beyond its aesthetic appeal and community values. Her Teale Phelps Bondaroff, co-founder of the project and volunteer GVPN board member, said the road murals not only make the streets more beautiful, but also improve traffic safety.

“Studies show that road murals encourage drivers to slow down, thereby improving road safety. I look forward to evaluating the

Phelps Bondaroff worked with the district to develop guidelines for road murals. He collects traffic speed data and compares it to measurements made before the mural to study the mural’s effect on vehicle speed on the road.

FCA will maintain the mural and will hold a repainting party next summer.

Read also: Victoria Dragon Boat Festival kicks off in Inner Harbor

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@Austin Eastfal
austin.westphal@saanichnews.com
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