How the flows of the Jordan River inspired this SLC neighborhood’s latest safety feature

Three Glendale crosswalks became a canvas for paintings of the Jordan River and natural features around the Salt Lake Valley.

White, orange and different shades of blue representing the neighboring salt flats, the sun, the mountains and the river now pop on the roads, just as this west-side community planned it.

Residents hope the colorful paintings will inspire drivers to pump the brakes and take in the sights.

“The goal of the murals was to really slow down traffic,” said Glendale Neighborhood Council Chair Turner Bitton, “and create a temporary project that can kind of demonstrate the need for more investments in infrastructure.”

The three street murals, painted late last month, can be spotted on Glendale Drive near the Dual Immersion Academy, on Emery Street near Parkview Elementary School, and on Fremont Avenue near 800 West — areas that Bitton said see frequent foot traffic from students and seniors.

“Obviously, permanent infrastructure investments are better,” he said, “but there is good evidence that public artwork of all kinds, and that includes street trees, lighting, different things like that, all contribute to safer streets.”

Artist Kelbe Goupil and volunteers from the community braved the July heat to finish the artwork. Goupil, who is also a Glendale resident, designed the murals and led the effort to paint them.

She came up with the idea for the paintings when she thought about how the Jordan River flows through Glendale, and designed the murals to represent the distinctive natural features that surround her community.

“They’re just abstract representations of Glendale and Salt Lake City,” she said, “being situated in between the desert to the west and mountains to the east.”

The hope is that the paintings will be a visual cue for drivers to take it easy, and there is at least some evidence to suggest that street murals are effective in doing that.

A 2022 report from Bloomberg Philanthropies that analyzed crash data and driver and pedestrian behavior at 17 sites across the country with similar murals linked asphalt art with improved safety.

“At unsignalized intersections,” the study states, “there was a greater frequency of drivers immediately yielding to crossing pedestrians.”

Bitton said the neighborhood council used grant money from AARP to pay for the paintings and explore other ways to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. That safety review led to a wish list for other improvements, such as improved bike lanes and elevated crosswalks.

“We’ve gone in,” he said, “and we’ve identified dozens of potential upgrades that could be made to the neighborhood that we think would make the neighborhood much safer for residents.”

While those potential improvements may still be down the road, Glendale is already taking steps toward safer streets, starting with a few brush strokes.

Alixel Cabrera is a Report for America corps member and writes about the status of communities on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.