Detour.

This caught my interest while in New York in 2009. I wondered if this was the best way to communicate information (albeit temporary), to fast moving traffic distracted by a very busy city. Could the use of information design and or symbols solve the problem better. The use of icons tends to be better in communicating more effectively as can be seen in the sign to the bottom of the picture alluding to the direction people should walk. An indication how far ahead 7th Ave is and the direction to take (left, right, keep straight) might also be more helpful.