Problematic and dangerous crossing in Košice. (source: Judita Čermáková)
The city of Košice is one of twenty European cities that received a grant of almost 26,000.
The money from Bloomberg Philanthropies is dedicated to projects that use art and design to improve street safety, and also serve to revitalize public spaces.
Košice was succesful with a plan called Time To Slow Down that involves changes at the Gorkého and Továrenská Streets. Several collectives of community development, urbanism, culture, art, sustainable mobility, and the city of Košice itself joined hands in creating the plan.
"The goal is to increase the safety of pedestrians and allow for the safe mobility of cyclists. On Gorkého Street, the number of traffic lanes should be reduced, the time spent walking on the crossings will be reduced, and the perception of space will be improved," a press release reads.
The intervention will take place near the historic centre of the city near a roundabout
"We are very pleased that our project was one of the supported projects in the Asphalt Art Initiative. We are even more pleased with the positive and open approach on the part of the city of Košice and the willingness to cooperate on this project. It is a step forward towards a more modern city, for which the safety of its residents is one of the priorities," said project co-author Ivana Skoumalová.
Košice deputy mayor Marcel Gibóda says that the success of the project proves that the city's cooperation with residents and the support of their ideas in public spaces are the right path for the development in the future.
Frequent accidents
The crossing at the roundabout is considered by activists to be unpleasant not only for pedestrians, but also for cyclists.
