The Desire Crosswalk

Major and Ulster Street, Toronto. Kids paint a crosswalk in different colour chalk where cars routinely run through a stop sign and turn left.

Ciclo Faixa (Brasil)

Des graffitis pour reprendre la main sur l’espace urbain

Pas assez de voies pour cyclistes sur les routes de Toronto ? Qu’à cela ne tienne, les membres d’UrbanRepair Squad empoignent leurs pots de peinture et vont eux-mêmes dessiner des pistes cyclables sur le bitume. Fissures et trous menacent les deux-roues ? Des « Oof ! »et « Thonk ! » apparaissent, peints en rose fluo sur la chaussée. Ces pothole onomatopoeia (« onomatopées pour nids-de-poule ») anticipent les sons que les bécanes des cyclistes et cyclomotoristes pourraient produire au contact de ces obstacles urbains. Ils alertent aussi les services d’entretien de l’état de décrépitude dans lequel sont laissées les routes. Urban Repair Squad, comme d’autres adeptes du « Do it yourself urban design », poussent ainsi les graffitis au-delà de la simple performance artistique : ils s’en prennent à un domaine jusqu’alors laissé aux mains des bureaucrates et améliorent eux-mêmes l’environnement urbain.

Et tout y passe : à Los Angeles, Eco Village redessine les intersections routières pour les rendre plus sûres et agréables, les agrémentant de passages piétons, de bancs et d’arbres. Les militants américains de City Repair, à Portland, délogent quant à eux les plaques de bitume inutiles afin d’étendre l’espace disponible pour des jardins communautaires ! — via Terra Eco

The Street Hacker, Officially Embraced

The Street Hacker, Officially Embraced (The Atlantic)

Astral Media vs Bike Parking: Street Artists Fight Back!

Astral Media install an 'Info Pillar' and remove five bike parking spots in just one location... 
the rest is some pretty compelling street art. An article about the intervention via Torontoist
http://torontoist.com/2012/04/spotted-ghost-bike-posts/

Traffic Light Art

With Love From Recife

Meanwhile in Sao Paulo

Bike Reporter & Pedaline (Brasil) Photos: http://instagr.am/p/I-k82OCBBj/ & http://twitter.com/#!/pedaline/status/187339092827181056/photo/1 Activists in Sao Paulo paint a crosswalk and bike lane on a dangerous road. News story with more images

Wile E. Ford Mural (AGO)

Installation/Mural produced as part of the video series 'Whitewash' by Sean Martindale and Pascal Paquette http://nowexhibition.com/ for the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The Portable Crosswalk

via Pop-Up City
http://popupcity.net/2012/03/urban-hacktivist-launches-guerrilla-crosswalks/

The Wile E. Ford Bike Mural

With Love From Zaragoza, Spain

With A Love For Flowers From London

With Love From Portland

A fine example of preventing dangerous spots for cyclists. Fixed in Portland for next to nothing:
http://bikeportland.org/2012/01/04/activist-takes-road-hazard-fix-into-own-hands-for-under-20-64616?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikePortland+%28BikePortland.org%29 (Hat tip to Nick from Portland) Follow up. Seems the City of Portland got the message

Article: http://is.gd/F0J3cF

Classic Urban Repairs - Sao Paulo 2007

http://www.apocalipsemotorizado.net/2007/09/04/sinalizando-as-ruas-para-democratizar-o-espaco/

Pottery Road Before & After Re-design

Giant SLOW stencil installed by URS earlier in the spring works better in terms slowing down traffic speeds just before the busy Don Valley Trail crossing.


Below is the current design as it is today.

Urban Repair Squad 'Le Depart'

This video was created by Streets are for People! in honour of activist group the Urban Repair Squad. Directed by Michael Louis Johnson, the film played on the small screen (a vintage TV set) as part of the Creative Activism exhibit at the Toronto Free Gallery, the Actions exhibit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Graham Foundation in Chicago and currently at CMAV in Toulouse. The short film enjoyed it's big screen debut in New York City 2009 Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) plus the Toronto & Montreal BFF. The film was also shown at the Portland Filmed by Bike Festival in 2010 and currently at the SPUR Urban Center http://spur.org/exhibitions/reclaim-market-street


Story & gags....Shamez Amlani, Michael Louis Johnson
Art Direction....Kelsey Carriere
Cast: Michael Louis Johnson, Shamez Amlani, Martin Reis, Kelsey Carriere, 
Colin Bryden and Szuszanna Garay
Producer: Martin Reis

Camera....Lisa Logan
Editor....Michael Louis Johnson
Director...Michael Louis Johnson

Music: Life of Crime by Michael Louis Johnson, performed by the New Kings.

Length: 4:42

Year: 2008

Haz Ciudad Creates 6KM DIY Bike Lane In Mexico City

Via The Grist and Haz Ciudad (Spanish)

Spotted tonight at the corner of Dundas West and Sterling. The intersection where Jenna Morrison lost her life on Monday. It should be noted that these stencil were NOT done by the Urban Repair Squad nor the City of Toronto. But very effective nonetheless. Amazing what some cardboard and $10 of spray paint can do.

A few days later, URS added these designs.

Progress

"The anti-dote to people not wanting progress is to make progress." -David Deutsch