La demande pour des interventions artistiques sur voirie ne cesse de croître. Les collectivités sont de plus en plus nombreuses à solliciter ce type de projets. Ce n’est pas un hasard : elles cherchent des solutions qui renforcent la sécurité routière tout en améliorant le cadre de vie. Ces interventions sont pensées et encadrées avec soin, en lien avec des urbanistes, des techniciens et les services de voirie.
Qu’est-ce que le design actif sur la voirie ?
Chaque projet est étudié, validé en amont et conçu dans un cadre rigoureux qui répond à des normes strictes. Ce cadre n’empêche en rien le travail artistique : les motifs peuvent être colorés, créatifs et porteurs de sens, tant qu’ils respectent les exigences de sécurité.
After dozens of projects carried out with local authorities and major players such as the Renault group, we are sharing an overview of our approach here. The aim is to provide concrete and documented insights into this type of intervention.
Le rôle de PALM : un chef d’orchestre
This is where PALM's teams come in. Our role is to bring together and ensure the successful completion of these projects from start to finish.
We support local authorities and their partners by studying the chosen sites and the targeted road safety or revitalization objectives. Based on these elements, we create precise quotes and propose tailor-made artistic directions.
We involve:
- Des artistes, souvent locaux, qui conçoivent les designs en respectant le cahier des charges établi et en donnant une identité visuelle forte aux espaces.
- Des habitants, associés à travers des ateliers participatifs. Ces ateliers permettent de co-créer les visuels et de mener des actions pédagogiques sur les bons comportements à adopter. Ils prennent tout leur sens dans les quartiers directement concernés.
- Des fournisseurs experts, qui analysent les supports et apportent leur savoir-faire technique pour garantir la qualité et la durabilité des interventions.
- Des applicateurs agréés et expérimentés, capables de tracer et d’appliquer les produits dans le respect des normes de signalisation routière.
- Technical, road, and municipal police services, who oversee the entire process and measure concrete impacts (violations, accidents, behaviors).
We thus orchestrate projects where technology, safety, and culture converge to sustainably transform public spaces.
Le design actif sur la voirie : une efficacité prouvée
L’art appliqué sur voirie n’est pas une fantaisie esthétique. Une étude indépendante menée par Bloomberg Philanthropies et le NACTO (Asphalt Art Safety Study, 2020-2022) a suivi 40 villes américaines, dont 17 projets de fresques au sol.
The study was based on the analysis of accident data and several days of filmed observation before and after installation. The results are clear:
- –50% fewer accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists,
- –37% fewer personal injury accidents (all road users combined),
- –25% fewer conflicts between drivers and pedestrians,
- +27% more drivers yielding to pedestrians.
This two-year study demonstrates that these interventions sustainably transform behaviors. What first emerged in North American cities, which are more open to experimentation, is now arriving in France after proving its effectiveness abroad. In France, these experimental approaches are also monitored and encouraged by CEREMA (Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Environment, Mobility, and Planning). This public body supports local authorities in their projects, produces technical guides, and evaluates the impacts of these new urban practices.
Des produits techniques rigoureusement validés pour la chaussée
In our projects, we ensure that we only use solutions that are safe, durable, and compliant with French regulations.
We prioritize MMA (methyl methacrylate) products, known for their effectiveness and reliability. They offer several advantages:
- quick drying, allowing for almost immediate reopening to traffic,
- optimized grip, even on wet surfaces,
- high durability and stable pigments,
- adaptability to various application methods (roller, spray, stencil, machine).
In France, products intended for official road markings (white lines, pedestrian crossings, arrows, official pictograms, etc.) must be approved by ASQUER (Association for the Certification and Qualification of Road Equipment). This state-accredited organization tests and certifies materials to guarantee their visibility, grip, and durability, then issues the necessary authorizations for them to be applied on public roads.
However, for products used in colorful urban designs (shared zones, bike lanes, widened sidewalks, active design, etc.), ASQUER approval is not always required. Nevertheless, these coatings must meet strict safety criteria (grip, traffic resistance) and not create confusion with official horizontal road markings. Their selection remains the joint responsibility of the supplier, the applicator, and the project owner.
Des zones priorisées sont celles où il y a le plus de risques
These interventions exclusively concern areas where safety is a priority, including:
- school surroundings and pedestrian crossings,
- 20 and 30 km/h zones,
- sensitive intersections,
- bike lanes,
- sidewalks and adjacent areas.
These interventions are limited to these locations for a simple reason: they are the points in the city where user vigilance needs to be heightened and where coexistence is most sensitive. In zones limited to 20 or 30 km/h, lower speeds allow drivers to safely integrate additional visual elements. Outside these zones, faster traffic requires uniform and clear road signage to avoid any confusion.
Therefore, art applied to roadways is not intended to cover the entire public space, but to act in a targeted manner, only where it can genuinely contribute to road safety.
Un design actif pensé pour la sécurité routière
Artistic creations on roadways also follow precise rules. The designs we create must not, under any circumstances, obscure the readability of signage. Specifically, this means we do not use the codified colors of the Highway Code (white, yellow, regulatory blue, etc.), but rather complementary color charts such as RAL references or specific shades, chosen for their visual impact without risk of confusion.
Similarly, there is never any question of painting directly over existing signage. A pedestrian crossing, for example, remains fully legible: interventions are placed before and after to enhance drivers' attention and highlight the crossing, but never to obscure the white stripes. This requirement is an integral part of our approach: to create colorful and distinctive murals that can improve road safety and foster a sense of ownership of the spaces, while strictly adhering to the legibility rules imposed by road signage.
L’impact du design actif sur la voirie
Early trials of 3D pedestrian crossings, these trompe-l'œil patterns meant to stop vehicles through an illusion of volume, were often unsuccessful. Several cities quickly removed them due to a lack of effective maintenance or because the effect faded. These markings also raised safety concerns: the deceptive perception of invisible bumps led some drivers to brake abruptly or swerve unpredictably. Furthermore, their visual effect depends on a precise angle, making their effectiveness uncertain.
This observation shows that even when a solution seems innovative, it is not automatically safe. At PALM, we learn from these trials: our interventions are targeted, well-thought-out, and always compatible with existing road signage.
Le design actif : un complément de la signalisation classique
Artistic creations on roadways should not be seen by local authorities as a quick fix to hide a road in poor condition or faded markings. If the road is degraded, the priority remains to renovate it and upgrade traditional signage. Active design then complements this maintenance by enhancing safety, clarifying uses, and adding an aesthetic and identity dimension. As with all road markings, it also requires a minimum of upkeep: a surface must be cleaned regularly to maintain the vibrancy of colors and ensure long-term legibility.
Comment multiplier l’impact des projets de design actif
The impact of these interventions is even stronger when they are developed with local residents. In school neighborhoods, for example, students meet the artist, learn about their approach, and participate in creating the design. This involvement fosters a sense of belonging and transforms the artwork into a collective landmark.
These workshops are not limited to drawing; they also pave the way for discussions about appropriate behavior in public spaces. After we leave, students often continue to act as mediators: they present the artwork to newcomers, explain its meaning, and proudly share their participation in a project that benefits everyone. Art then becomes a lasting factor of transmission and cohesion.
Le design actif sur la chaussée : une pratique en pleine expansion
The momentum around active design continues to accelerate. In France and internationally, more and more local authorities are testing and implementing these initiatives, convinced of their positive impact on road safety and quality of life. Private entities like the Renault Foundation are also partnering in these efforts, proving that the subject extends beyond the municipal framework. Overseas territories are also getting involved, while abroad, pioneering cities like New York continue their experiments, directly inspiring Europe.
PALM participates in this movement, having already completed about ten projects and currently supporting ten more. These experiences demonstrate that art applied to roadways is not a fleeting trend, but a sustainable evolution of urban practices.
Le design actif : un levier sous-estimé pour la sécurité routière
Active design on roadways is not just decoration. It is an innovative approach, co-created with local authorities, technicians, residents, and artists. It helps make the city safer, clearer, and more vibrant. To secure through art, experiment seriously, and contribute to reinventing urban uses: this is the ambition we uphold.
Active design, applied through road murals and street paintings, is now emerging as an innovative response to road safety challenges. Combined with traditional road markings and road signage rules, it brings color and clarity to public spaces, while enhancing the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
See also
