How DecoMark and TrafficPatterns turned Commercial Drive in Vancouver and Brighouse Station in Richmond into safer, more vibrant civic landmarks.
Projects: Commercial Drive Decorative Crosswalks (Vancouver, Little Italy) · Richmond Brighouse Station
The Challenge
Both the City of Vancouver and the City of Richmond sought to improve pedestrian safety while revitalizing key urban spaces through culturally meaningful and visually distinctive crosswalks.
The crosswalks needed:
- High-visibility pedestrian zones that could withstand year-round use
- Skid-resistant surfaces that supported safe foot traffic in wet conditions
- Stronger community identity, using custom visuals aligned with local culture
- Fewer maintenance cycles, so the colour lasts and costs stay down
Traditional painted markings weren't meeting these needs, often fading quickly and offering limited design flexibility.
Vancouver: Commercial Drive (Little Italy)
To honour local heritage while enhancing safety in Vancouver's Little Italy district, HUB Surface Systems delivered a custom solution.
DecoMark: A preformed thermoplastic graphic system that let the city heat-apply bold, Italian-themed designs to the crosswalk surface, a mark of the neighbourhood's identity.
TrafficPatterns: Installed alongside DecoMark, this hard-wearing preformed thermoplastic gave skid resistance and design flexibility for a busy, multimodal corridor.
Key Benefits:
- Customizable design for civic branding and cultural expression
- Skid-resistant surface for enhanced pedestrian safety in high foot-traffic areas
- UV-stable colours that stay vibrant over time
- Fast installation with minimal disruption, ideal for busy urban corridors
Result: The crosswalks are safer and a visual gateway to the neighbourhood, drawing attention, foot traffic and community pride, with less repainting.
Richmond: Brighouse Station (TransLink B-Line)
At Richmond's busiest B-Line transit hub, safety and surface resilience were paramount.
TrafficPatternsXD: A heavy-duty, preformed thermoplastic with embedded aggregate and a textured profile designed to endure continuous wear from buses, snowplows, and pedestrian traffic.
Key Benefits:
- High-friction surface prevents slips, even in wet or icy weather
- Designed to withstand turning, braking, and snow-clearing equipment
- Fast, heat-bonded installation avoids major lane closures
- Long-term durability minimizes maintenance and disruption
Result: The new crosswalks supported Richmond's Complete Streets and accessibility goals, with safer crossing at the transit hub and little long-term upkeep.
Results across both cities
According to municipal project feedback and on-site observations:
- Enhanced pedestrian safety, with more clearly defined crosswalk boundaries
- Stronger visual identity, turning basic crossings into civic landmarks
- Higher pedestrian engagement and foot traffic in revitalized areas
- Reduced maintenance needs, thanks to fade- and wear-resistant materials
Conclusion
By combining DecoMark and TrafficPatterns for design flexibility in Vancouver, and using TrafficPatternsXD for durability in Richmond, both cities got crosswalks that are safer and mark the place.
These projects prove that surface infrastructure can, and should, serve both practical safety needs and community identity.
Why it works for municipalities:
- Supports Vision Zero and Complete Streets
- Supports cultural branding and civic identity through creative expression
- Cuts long-term maintenance through fade-resistant, high-durability materials
- Enhances pedestrian safety without compromising design aesthetics
Contact HUB Surface Systems to learn how we can help your municipality achieve similar results.
