Video – Young Port Hope Artists Want to Paint a Safer Path Across the Community

Pete Fisher
2 hours ago
• Categories: Community, Editor Choice, Local, Photo Gallery

Sometimes it takes a personal experience to see an everyday problem in a completely different way.

For Port Hope youth Rain Webb and Maddy Towns, two separate experiences involving people close to them changed the way they look at something most people take for granted — a crosswalk.

Now the two young women are hoping to turn those experiences into positive change through their youth-led initiative, Patterns 2 Paths.

The pair brought their message to the Cultivate Art Festival in Port Hope on Saturday, August 8, where they were creating temporary chalk crosswalk designs and talking with residents about their vision for brighter, more visible and safer pedestrian crossings throughout the municipality.

Their idea is simple — use art to get people’s attention.

Traditional crosswalks are generally made up of white painted lines. Over time, those markings can fade, and Rain believes they can become so commonplace that motorists don’t always give them the attention they deserve.

“If you’re driving and you come to a crosswalk that’s faded or really bright, you’re just going to pass by it because it’s not colourful,” Rain explained. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just the normal.”

Patterns 2 Paths wants to change that.

The initiative is designed to bring youth and the community together through an art contest in which young people can create colourful designs that could eventually be incorporated into crosswalks or other public spaces.

The goal is not simply to make the streets more attractive.

It is about making pedestrians more visible.

Every day, thousands of people rely on crosswalks to get to school, work, stores and community facilities. Distracted driving, speeding and poor visibility can all contribute to pedestrian injuries.

For Rain, the issue became personal when her best friend was struck by a bus on school property.

“My best friend ended up getting hit by a bus on school property and it really changed how I felt about things,” she said.

That experience eventually led Rain to develop Patterns 2 Paths.

Maddy has a similar personal connection.

“My grandpa was trying to cross a small intersection. People weren’t paying attention. He ended up getting hit,” she said.

“When Rain mentioned it, I thought of something that I would love to help because I am the co-founder and something really needed to change about it.”

Maddy said brighter colours could help make pedestrians more noticeable.

“Our elders and our young youth would be safer while crossing the street if there was some brighter colours on the road for people to catch their eye,” she said.

The two first began working on the idea about two years ago and eventually brought it forward through the Port Hope Police Service’s Pitch to the Chief program.

Port Hope Police Constable Jeff Higgins said Rain and Maddy proposed an initiative that would involve students in school art programs creating murals.

Those designs could then be selected by the municipality and police, with the possibility of being displayed on the side of a building or incorporated into crosswalks.

Although the girls did not win the Pitch to the Chief competition, Higgins said police recognized the value of their proposal.

“We felt it was a great initiative with the police service and we wanted to promote that,” he said.

The pair were encouraged to apply to the Youth in Policing Initiative, commonly known as YIPI.

They were successful, making Rain and Maddy the first two youth involved in the YIPI program with the Port Hope Police Service.

Constable Tammie Staples said that is an important accomplishment.

“So, the Youth in Policing, which is the YIPI program, this is the first for Port Hope Police, which is amazing,” Staples said.

“For many, many years, we’ve tried unsuccessfully. This year, we got two, which is Rain and Maddy.”

Staples said the program gives youth an opportunity to become involved in meaningful initiatives while learning more about policing and their community.

Higgins said Patterns 2 Paths provides an opportunity to combine youth involvement, art and public safety.

“First of all, we would engage the youth in the community. They would have a chance to show their art skills,” he said.

The artwork would not necessarily be limited to crosswalks.

Higgins said there could also be opportunities to have artwork presented in ways that benefit community organizations and programs.

He suggested, for example, that artwork could potentially be used by the Legion for Remembrance Day.

But the crosswalk concept remains the central focus.

The proposed contest would allow children and youth between the ages of 10 and 18 to submit designs.

Rain said the contest could hopefully take place next summer, with judges potentially including Port Hope Police officers and members of council.

There would be guidelines for the artwork, including requirements to ensure that the designs are meaningful and appropriate for public spaces.

Once a design is selected, the long-term goal is to see it become part of an actual crosswalk.

That process, however, is not something that will happen overnight.

Rain said the girls have already spoken with stakeholders and learned that the type of material used on the roadway is an important consideration.

Their original idea involved conventional paint, but they discovered that some latex paints could create slippery conditions.

They are now looking at thermoplastic pavement markings.

Rain explained that thermoplastic material can incorporate glass beads and provide a textured surface while also improving visibility.

The girls believe that approach could help create colourful crosswalks that are both eye-catching and practical.

The first permanent installation is still some time away.

Rain said the hope is that the project could move forward next year, possibly next fall, with the possibility that some aspects could continue into 2028.

In the meantime, the chalk designs created Saturday at the Cultivate Art Festival offered residents a temporary glimpse of what the future could look like.

For a few hours, the pavement became a canvas.

And for Rain and Maddy, the artwork represents something much bigger than colourful lines on a roadway.

It represents an attempt to make people look up, slow down and pay attention.

Higgins said the initiative is still in its early stages and has already experienced its share of challenges.

“There’s been hills and valleys, which go with everything,” he said.

But he remains hopeful.

“We’re just hoping that this continues and we get the support from the community that they can move forward with their projects.”

For two young people who have seen firsthand the consequences of pedestrians not being seen, the motivation is simple.

Make crosswalks impossible to ignore.

Make them brighter.

Make them safer.

And give Port Hope’s youth a chance to leave their mark on the community — one colourful crossing at a time.

(Others involved in project are Melaine Gonzalez and Finn Callahan)