LOUISVILLE, Colo. -- It was a controversial sign campaign that drew plenty of conversation. It also resulted in actual changes to traffic safety in Louisville.
In November, signs started popping up in front lawns across the small city. They read “STFD Louisville,” standing for “slow the f--- down.”
“The speeds had become extraordinarily problematic, particularly in the school zone I live near,” campaign organizer Dylan Frusciano said.
He printed the signs and put up a website stating the simple mission: for people to slow down when driving through the residential parts of town.
“It was meant to be a little provocative and irreverent, driving attention to the real matter,” he said.
The campaign took off from there. It turned into packed city council meetings, media attention, and a lot of pressure on the city to do something.
“[It] generally got the city awareness up,” Louisville’s Public Works Director Kurt Kowar told Denver7.
Three months after the signs first started, the city is taking action. They have nine locations with planned traffic safety improvements including raised medians and reflective signs.
“Some areas that are quick hit, high impact, low cost ways to get something done in the near future,” Kowar said.
The city says they were already discussing some measures, but the STFD definitely put the pressure on, and may have pushed them over the edge to get something done quickly.
The STFD signs have now come down. They’ve been replaced by a new campaign from the city that reads “We love our town, please slow down” with two cartoon children.
Read more about the new campaign here.
The original organizer says he’s ok with that. A win is a win.
“You can be a voice and you can make a difference,” Frusciano said.
