Eleven bright-yellow, life-size sculptures of a figure named Mr. Walker are showing up at crosswalks around Kansas City, part of a new pedestrian-safety push called SafeAcross KC. The initiative pairs the attention-grabbing statues with educational messaging aimed at drivers who blow through crosswalks without yielding, a problem the city says has turned deadly far too often in recent years.
Kansas City is joining the broader SafeAcross program, which aims to promote pedestrian-friendly communities by training drivers to be more aware of crosswalks, according to the City of Kansas City. The Mr. Walker signs are intended to reinforce existing crosswalk signage, per the city’s news release, and the sculptures themselves will be placed at 11 different crosswalks around town, as first reported by the Kansas City Star.
The city has recorded an average of 51 fatal or serious-injury pedestrian-involved crashes per year since 2021, according to a news release from the City of Kansas City. That grim tally is the backdrop against which officials say they hope to initiate a cultural change in the community to increase pedestrian safety.
Where The Statues Are Popping Up
Per the Star’s reporting, Mr. Walker sculptures are heading to Troost Avenue and E. 31st Street, Brooklyn and Lexington avenues, W. 17th Street and Summit Street, Broadway Boulevard and Westport Road, and E. 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard…