If you happen to be at the Boardwalk shopping plaza in Waterloo, you may notice something new: several 3D crosswalks painted around the plaza's medical centre.

Two 3D crosswalks were painted over the Victoria Day long weekend on the south side of the medical centre, in hopes of catching drivers' attention. Crews used four different colours of paint to give the optical illusion that the crosswalk is floating as drivers approach.

Boardwalk staff wanted to create a solution that didn't involve adding more signs to remind drivers to slow down.

"Typically, these [crosswalks] are template pavement stripes, but we wanted to implement something unique with the patient in mind," Cynthia Voisin, project coordinator of the medical centre at the Boardwalk said in release.

The plaza sees more than 2,000 visitors daily, Voisin said. It is also located near a busy bus terminal.

Cities like Montreal—and countries such as France and Germany— have also implemented 3D crosswalks on city roads to help alert drivers.