This item was referred to the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee at the September 14, 2022 City Commission meeting to discuss options for incorporating artistic designs as part of sidewalk or bicycle lane barriers, in an effort to beautify the surrounding areas and promote the City’s arts and culture brand.  On January 11, 2023 a discussion was held at the Public Safety Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee. Staff was directed to internally discuss potential locations and determine costs.

Tourism and Culture staff, along with Public Works and Transportation, have met to determine potential locations. The City has implemented either mass produced armadillos (rubber barriers) or tubular delineators (white plastic poles) on existing bicycle lane barriers. While these structures do not allow for the integration of public art, should future bicycle lanes require concrete barriers, this would be an ideal opportunity to implement a pilot public art project.

For example, as part of its Barrier Beautification Program, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) releases an annual Call to Artists to solicit design concepts from professional artists for implementation of public art at concrete barrier sites citywide. Barrier sites range in size from 200 to 2000 feet in length. Artists are awarded an honorarium in the amount of three-thousand dollars ($3,000) to complete a final design, produce stencils to translate the design onto the barriers and oversee the implementation process with volunteers. Additionally, the selected artists receive a stipend to cover the cost of materials to produce stencils to translate the design onto the barriers. The NYC DOT provides labor, paint, materials and tools to prime the barriers and implement the designs. The murals are considered temporary, so they are not maintained past one year. In 2023, the NYC DOT received 57 applicants and selected 5 artists. At this time, the Administration does not have information on costs incurred by DOT for the implementation of the designs.