CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Town leaders are giving their colorful crosswalks another thought.

  • The town first painted some in 2016 with the hopes that the increased visibility would make drivers easily spot them and stop for pedestrians
  • A police spokesperson says pedestrian-involved deaths have neither trended upward nor downward at the colorful crosswalks
  • Officials say another goal of the crosswalks is to make the town more colorful and artsy

Crews spent Thursday touching up the paint on a few of them. The town first painted some in 2016 with the hopes that the increased visibility would make drivers easily spot them and stop for pedestrians.

“Yeah I'm sure they will because it stands out. It's not something you would expect. So they [drivers] definitely need to slow down when they see that there are bright colors,” said resident Paulina Ruiz.

But a police spokesperson tells Spectrum News pedestrian-involved deaths have neither trended upward nor downward at the colorful crosswalks. This has town leaders rethinking if they need to paint more crosswalks. At least one more will be painted in the near future.

Ruiz says she understands why the idea really hasn't moved the needle.

“I'd say unless there's like flashing lights or something, if you have a distracted driver or a driver in a rush, they're still going to be in a rush or be distracted.”

Other commend the town leaders for giving it the college try.

“I think you do what you can, and I think any effort in that direction is a good effort,” says resident Zain Lakhany.

Officials say another goal of the crosswalks is to make the town more colorful and artsy.

“I definitely do like the colors. I think it brightens them up for sure,” says Ruiz.