NORWICH — If anyone was in Greeneville on Wednesday morning, then they would’ve seen groups of volunteers and Norwich Public Works employees painting flag-colored patterns by the street crossings on parts of Central Avenue. While it makes the natural appearance of the asphalt a little more lively, the painting does more than serve as art.
The road paintings, called pedestrian bump-outs, are supposed to make crossing the street safer, said Assistant City Planner Dan Daniska. The project, which was funded by a grant from the state Department of Health and the CDC and approved back in late 2019, was held off due to cold weather and later the pandemic, but was finally started on Wednesday.
Daniska said the colorful flag designs, suggested by the community to reflect the diversity of the neighborhood, are meant to keep cars from parking close to the sidewalks, and make the crossing distance shorter for pedestrians.
“We’re hoping to calm traffic and make it safer for everyone out here,” Daniska said.
The flag designs range from the U.S. and Puerto Rican flags, to the Mohegan and Cape Verdean flags, with 13 different flags total being represented.
“It became clear that this is a multicultural neighborhood, so we want the streets to feel welcoming and inclusive to everybody,” said Mike Lydon, principal with StreetPlans, the contractor working with Norwich on this project.
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Daniska also felt the volunteer aspect is important because it means the community will care about it.
“It’s something you can physically see right away, so that is kind of…
