The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is looking for volunteers to paint flags in honor of victims of traffic violence.
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission needs your help to build a memorial to the 94 people who have been killed on roads in the Merrimack Valley since 2020. MVPC will provide all the materials.
Your role is to paint a message about transportation safety on a large canvas flag… or two… or four.
Why are we doing this?
Last year we had only just begun collecting data and community insight for the regional safety action plan, MV Vision Zero when World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Traffic Violence arrived on the third Sunday in November.
This November, a year later, the MV Vision Zero plan has been endorsed by our MVMPO board and our network of safety advocates has expanded. It’s encouraging to see momentum build for infrastructure and initiatives that will improve roadway safety for all road users and eliminate fatal and injury crashes.
Meanwhile, 12 additional people were killed in crashes on Merrimack Valley roads this year. We asked ourselves how can we honor the lives of people we haven’t met rather than memorialize the way that they died?
Many other communities have set up memorials to honor crash victims. Some lay out a pair of sneakers in a public space for every person killed, others place white bikes or cardboard silhouettes at the places of fatal crashes. The intention is to bring the human factor of transportation violence to public conscience and the actions and strategies towards vision zero to the forefront of planning and policymaking.
How we built and displayed the initial memorial
The Merrimack Valley has a rich history in the textile industry, so it made sense to use fabric as a uniting material. We arranged 94 canvas flags, 20” by 36” in dimension, to be hung on a clothesline. Each flag represents a person killed in a crash since 2020.
The initial even took place on Saturday, November 16th at the entrance to the Methuen Rail Trail. As participants arrived, they took a flag to paint and returned it to the clothesline once complete with a message or illustration promoting safety on roadways. Flags were left up for one week on display.
Why we need you
We still have 46 flags left to paint to complete the memorial and need your help to make the memorial complete. Flags will be added to the line which will then be hung in public spaces around the Merrimack Valley Region.
Please reach out to Elizabeth, the Vision Zero Project Manager, if you are interested in helping us get to 94 flags. Her email is [email protected].