For about two weeks, D.C. cyclists have spotted a scattering of quirky-looking brooms on their morning commutes. They have googly eyes, come in different colors, and include messages about protecting bike lanes:

Rode by this diligent bike lane guard on 4th Street NE this morning, courtesy of ⁦@DCDOTRA⁩. pic.twitter.com/1u9v3dnMlO

— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) November 20, 2019

Lil Frankie was born sometime last night! Their post is somewhere on 15th Street. They see us, but will you see them?! #LilFrankieTheBroom #JuneTheBroom #VisionZeroDC #BikeDC pic.twitter.com/C0H3g9htGw

— Sultry and Sexy Department of Transformation (@DCDOTRA) November 26, 2019

These inanimate street safety advocates come courtesy of the Department of Transformation. Despite its official-sounding name, the organization is unaffiliated with D.C. government (indeed, it’s somewhat mocking the Department of Transportation) and describes itself on Twitter as a “tactical urbanist org that believes cities should be designed for people, not cars.” The group is responsible for initiatives that include human-protected bike lanes and wooden handstands where bikers can rest while waiting for a light to change.

The first of these colorful brooms, affectionately named June the Broom, was installed at the First Street NE protected bike lane near Union Station on November 11. June disappeared after a 10-day stint. Now it appears that the brooms are making a comeback. We had some questions, and a representative of the Department of Transformation answered them over Twitter direct message. (The person who responded to our questions would only speak under the condition of anonymity—they said they don’t want to become the face of the Department of Transformation, which they called “a project for everyone.”)

What are these brooms?

“These are simply brooms that have been laying around,” the representative of the organization says. “We spray painted them and added googly eyes made with scraps leftover from other craft projects. So far, each in the colorful bunch have signs with different slogans relating to Vision Zero and traffic safety.”

The respondent says that, with the help of some plumber’s putty, it’s easy to install the brooms to the top of flexiposts without harming city property. The group even shared some instructions for how others can build their own bike lane protectors.

How to build your own broom bike lane protector:
1) procure a broom
2) spray paint it whatever color you want
3) make eyes out of whatever you may have handy and affix (krazy glue and tacky glue are your friends)
4) sign optional but encouraged

— Sultry and Sexy Department of Transformation (@DCDOTRA) November 16, 2019

Why did DCDOTRA install them?

June the Broom was installed because the bike lane near Union Station is “perpetually blocked by drivers of vehicles big, small, and sometimes armored,” the Department of Transformation representative says.

Thicker bike lane flexiposts were installed by the District Department of Transportation (that would be the official D.C. agency that the Department of Transformation is imitating) a few months ago, the respondent says, adding that “Almost immediately, they failed, and trucks resumed parking in the bike lane. Despite the fact that the bike lane there is protected with concrete, the area functions as a loading zone.”

The fake agency (f-agency, if you will) figured that enforcing bike lane safety would require some creativity. June the Broom was born out of a desire to “humanize the cost of blocking the bike lane,” the representative says.

The group hoped that June would be run over by truck drivers to “provide a visceral visual of why protected bike lanes are so essential for Vision Zero goals,” the Department of Transformation respondent says. Instead, drivers stopped blocking the bike lane that June protected.

“Since then, the brooms have taken on a new status symbol,” the account says, noting that some of them are “intended to address a problem zone. For example, Bobby and Blue, the brooms by Two Rivers Public Charter School on Fourth St. NE, are designed to prevent parents, buses, and trucks from parking in the protected bike lane. “Others, like Carol and Lil’ Frankie … are merely intended to brighten up the path for bicyclists and make biking a more whimsical and fun experience.”

How long will they be around?

While June the Broom was stolen after 10 days, “the others will stay up indefinitely,” the Department of Transformation says.

How many are there and where are they?

What’s that, you ask? A map of the brooms?

How have people reacted to these wacky brooms?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, the respondent says: “People are really excited when a new broom appears on their route. Even though some have very strong messages, you can’t help but smile when you see a brightly-colored broom with googly eyes protecting your bike lane … We hear more are coming soon.”