A City Council committee today heard from supporters and opponents of a proposed “rainbow” crosswalk downtown. The hearing was to decide whether to move forward with the plan.
On June 16, Councilman Roberto Treviño issued a request for the council to consider installing a pride-themed rainbow crosswalk on Main Avenue. Trevino said the crosswalk would serve several purposes, including showing inclusion and tolerance for the LGBT community, and providing safety for pedestrians.
Other cities across the country have installed pride-themed crosswalks, including Atlanta, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. Deputy City manager Peter Zanoni said research shows that cities that have included the artistic crosswalks have seen an overall positive response by community members and businesses.
Funding for the crosswalk would come from two sources. The city would provide the base cost and the difference would come from Treviño’s privately raised funds. The use of various coloring material is predicted to increase the cost, since there will be various colors used instead of traditional white.
The Pilot Projects Program will conduct a performance metric of the crosswalk over six months to measure crash rates, community responses, 211 calls and maintenance costs.