BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL | “Collective Visions,” a vibrant new street mural by artists GERALUZ and WERC, spans the north lane of 14th St. from University Place to Fourth Ave.
The asphalt-covering art is described as being inspired by the power of nature and unity as strong extensions of people and the Earth, representing resilience against injustice and extinction.
The street painting covers the pedestrian extension area south of Union Square Park that, initially pitched as temporary, takes away one lane of the street for use by motor vehicles.
This area was touted as a “safe space” — but shortly after its creation in 2019, buses were seen dangerously plowing right through it. Following coverage by The Village Sun, the Department of Transportation added delineators at the ends of the pedestrianized lane to warn bus drivers not to use it.
The colorful new mural should help make it extra-clear that the space is currently not for use by motor vehicles.
Good for the mural. Part of the problem with addicts missusing these new pedestrain spaces on both sides of 14th Street, is that the bridge and tunnel guys who come into New York to work for the day for the NYPD don’t know it is pedestrian. A few months ago, while I stood in the south side space, a gigantic tractor trailer blasted its horn at me to move so it could park there illegally. Since I wouldn’t budge, the addict went around me, ran down the flexible barriers, and blocked the space anyway. All of this was seen by an NYPD traffic cop. The NYPD cop at first argued with me that this was not a pedestrian space, even though the addict had run over barriers to get into it. Eventually, the NYCPD officer wrote the addict a ticket. Of course the NYPD officer does not live in New York and is unfamilar with the the Union Square Plan. However, if these bridge and tunnel guys were better educated about the places where they come to work each day, the people who live in New York would be much better protected.
Will it signal the NYPD not to park their vehicles there?
It looks like Matisse, Picasso and Bob Ross vomited on it.