Barrio Blue Moon Neighbors to Transform Intersection at Block Painting Party
Tucson, AZ (September 22, 2022) – On Saturday, October 1st, local non-profit organization, Living Streets Alliance, and the Barrio Blue Moon neighborhood will host a special community block party, inviting residents and friends to transform the intersection of Helen Street and 14th Avenue. Together, the community will paint a colorful traffic circle that will beautify the street and calm traffic to improve safety in the neighborhood.
The Barrio Blue Moon Block Painting Party will take place from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. Designed and led by local artist Armando Sotelo III, residents will paint an intersection mural with imagery inspired by Native wisdom in the lunar calendar, which is represented with the shell of a turtle. Flex posts and large planters will surround the mural, delineating a traffic circle that will serve to slow down cars going through the neighborhood. Participants in the block party can enjoy free food and music provided by DJ Aqua. Residents are encouraged to bring their bicycles for free repair provided by BICAS.
The design of this “quick-build” traffic circle is temporary in nature and a relatively inexpensive solution to calm traffic compared to permanent circles made of concrete. The site was chosen as a location for intersection safety and stop sign compliance improvements when residents of the nearby Tucson House cited “unsafe driving, speeding, and traffic” to be “serious neighborhood problems.” Barrio Blue Moon Neighborhood Association President Sharayah Jimenez said, “We are very excited to see this project realized and are thrilled that a long-term neighborhood resident has been selected for the artwork as well. We look forward to the traffic calming circle being implemented for the safety and beautification of our neighborhood!”
This project is part of the Thrive in the 05 Initiative, made possible through many different partnerships including Tucson Housing & Community Development, Tucson Department of Transportation & Mobility, Tucson Ward 3 Councilmember Kevin Dahl, and PSOMAS Engineering. Additional artistic traffic calming projects will take place in other parts of the Thrive area in November and December of this year.
The mission of Living Streets Alliance (LSA) is to advocate for a thriving Tucson by creating great streets for all of us. LSA is improving access to healthy, sustainable modes of transportation through outreach, education, advocacy, and research. For more information visit www.livingstreetsalliance.org.
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