Skip to content

Traffic Calming Animation of the Day: The Chicane

In the shortest, sweetest Streetfilm ever, a 24-second stop-motion animation, Elizabeth Press perfectly illustrates a chicane which is a sequence of bump-outs that force drivers to slow down and drive a more circuitous route along a straight, wide street. An added side benefit, chicanes also create more sidewalk space to be used for benches, tables, plantings and street furniture.

In the shortest, sweetest Streetfilm ever, a 24-second stop-motion animation, Elizabeth Press perfectly illustrates a chicane which is a sequence of bump-outs that force drivers to slow down and drive a more circuitous route along a straight, wide street. An added side benefit, chicanes also create more sidewalk space to be used for benches, tables, plantings and street furniture.

The word chicane comes from the German word schikane, meaning harassment.

Project for Public Spaces has more on chicanes and various other traffic calming techniques.

Photo of Jason Varone
Jason Varone battles the streets everyday during a 9 mile commute on his bicycle from downtown Brooklyn to the Upper East Side. In addition to his efforts on Streetsblog, he is an artist making work related to the environment and technology. Examples of his work can be found at www.varonearts.org.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Julie Menin is Weighing At Least 17 E-Bike and E-Moto Bills — Here’s What We Know

August 6, 2026

Lawmakers Aim At Illegal E-Motos, But Hit E-Bikes Instead

August 6, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines: Rate Evasion Edition

August 6, 2026

Mamdani Targets Online Illegal E-Moto Retailers

August 5, 2026

Eyes on the Street: Inwood’s Newest Bike Lane Forces Greenway Cyclists To Take the Stairs

August 5, 2026
See all posts