Tom Flood transforming street conversations
Shifting Perspectives: Why Tom Flood’s Creative Advocacy is Transforming Conversations Around Safe Streets
In the world of safe streets advocacy, where technical debates often overshadow human experience, Tom Flood’s creative approach stands out. An advertising professional turned advocate, Tom has become a transformative figure whose visual work brings clarity, humour, and heart into conversations about making streets safer. Recently, Wendy sat down with him to explore how creativity can shift long-held assumptions and spark meaningful change.
Table of Contents
- Creating Change Through Creativity
- Connecting Hearts and Minds
- The Advertising Lens
- Fighting Fire with Fire
- Strategies for Advocacy
- Humanising the Conversation
- A Call to Action
- A New Normal
- Get Involved
Creating Change Through Creativity
Wendy opens the conversation in her studio, talking with Tom about his journey from Toronto’s busy streets to his work with Rovelo Creative. A single bike ride with his children led him to notice the imbalance on local roads. That moment pushed him deeper into safe streets advocacy, fuelled by a desire for basic safety that should be universal.
Tom explains that his work is driven not by statistics but by human stories. His advertising background helps him tune into emotion and clarity – skills that make his posters resonate so strongly. For many people, these visual statements are their first entry point into conversations about safer, more liveable streets.
Connecting Hearts and Minds
Tom notes that safe streets advocacy is often weighed down by technical language. “Numbers don’t connect with the average person,” he says. “We need to talk about benefits at a human level.”
Wendy highlights how Tom’s posters simplify complex ideas, making them relatable and grounded in daily life. By using familiar scenarios, he helps people reconsider assumptions about who streets are designed for and whose comfort is prioritised.
His analogy about smoking areas versus non-smoking areas is a powerful example of challenging outdated norms and inviting people to rethink what we accept as “normal”.
The Advertising Lens
Tom’s advertising background shapes his approach to safe streets advocacy. Instead of producing data-heavy explanations, he uses storytelling techniques common in consumer marketing: clarity, simplicity, and emotional impact.
He shares that he refuses to work on campaigns that promote unsafe vehicles. This decision underscores his values-based approach: advocacy isn’t just what you create; it’s also what you refuse to amplify.
Fighting Fire with Fire
Wendy and Tom discuss how car ads often glorify unsafe behaviour, ignoring the real impacts on communities. Tom’s posters counter these narratives with humour, irony, and a clear message about shared public space.
This light-touch approach helps ease tension in discussions that often become polarised. By reframing the conversation, he gives people permission to see things differently without feeling confronted.
Strategies for Advocacy
Throughout their discussion, Wendy and Tom explore how creative tools can strengthen safe streets advocacy in communities.
Advocates worldwide use Tom’s posters in diverse ways—from digital screens in New Zealand to cheeky wild postings in Vancouver. Wendy suggests integrating these visuals into policy submissions to provide emotional impact that complements written arguments.
Tom encourages advocates to keep experimenting, noting that creativity can break through where bureaucratic language falls flat.
Humanising the Conversation
In politicised environments like Toronto, advocacy can become adversarial. Wendy and Tom emphasise that safe streets advocacy must remain grounded in empathy. Policymakers, planners, and community members all share a desire for streets that feel comfortable, accessible, and safe.
Human stories create connection, and connection creates momentum.
A Call to Action
Tom acknowledges the hard work of on-the-ground advocates and encourages people to keep leaning into creativity. The most effective campaigns tap into shared human desires – safety, comfort, and a welcoming public realm.
Wendy invites advocates to include Tom’s visuals in their submissions and community campaigns to amplify their message with emotional clarity.
A New Normal
This conversation isn’t just about posters or design. It’s about a shift in public thinking. Through creativity and emotional intelligence, Tom Flood shows how safe streets advocacy can challenge ingrained assumptions and expand what people believe is possible.
He invites all of us to imagine streets that put people first – and to take small, practical steps toward making that vision real.
Get Involved
If Tom Flood’s work inspires you, explore his designs and consider how they could support safe streets advocacy in your community. Visit his website and connect with local advocacy groups to help spread the message. Together, we can reimagine the streets we share.
To connect with Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-flood-7a91b411/
To share Tom’s posters, follow his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583795684294
Here’s Tom’s website: creativebyrovelo.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tomflood.bsky.social
Instagram @rovelocreative
