(photos by John Colombo from The Bulletin v.42 n.5 May 2017)

The DIYDPW channel has, until now, always been documentation of signage of some sort. This time I’m highlighting a person working in my home city: Rose Parker, of Pittsburgh, PA. Rose is a retired school bus driver who now volunteers as an unofficial crossing guard, armed with a stop sign she bought online and a coordinated bright red outfit.  Rose got tired of watching kids coming home from school on buses and having to dodge traffic just to cross the streets in their home neighborhoods. She’s profiled in the latest issue of The Bulletin, and you can read more about her work here (pdf).

“One guy asked me if I was authorized to be out here,” (Rose) recalled. “I said that I’m a grandmother waiting for my grandson, so that authorizes me to be out here.”

DIYDPW is a frequent blog post highlighting global examples of Do It Yourself Department of Public Works projects. These are defined as any examples of municipal signage or infrastructure, generated by citizens outside of state-sanctioned means, that fulfill a perceived need in the area within which they are installed. It focuses specifically on street signage and way-finding graphics, and we take contributions from our readers! Got a photo of a great handmade or otherwise DIY sign that fixes a problem the local municipality had otherwise overlooked? Send it our way. Email (include a web-ready image and location found) to DIYDPW at gmail dot com