AUSTIN (KXAN) — After U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to governors across the country urging them to join a national roads safety initiative that includes removing artwork or political messages from streets — what will happen to the city of Austin’s specialized crosswalks, like the rainbow crosswalks downtown, remains unclear.
“It’s really sad to see that they’re aggressively trying to push and basically erase LGBT people from visibility,” Jon Wong, who is visiting Austin from Washington D.C., said. “As someone who’s visiting here for Austin Pride it makes me real sad that they’re trying to erase us away.”
According to Erik Johnson, a city of Austin spokesperson, that topic is “part of the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) guidelines that were adopted Dec. 19, 2023 with an effective date of Jan. 18, 2024. Texas has two years from this effective date to adopt statewide MUTCD guidelines. TxDOT is currently accepting public comment on the MUTCD through Sept. 2 and the City of Austin plans to participate.”
In other words, until that state process plays out, the city doesn’t know whether those crosswalks will be allowed to stay or not.
The July 1 letter from Duffy didn’t specifically point to things, like rainbow crosswalks, but he did suggest that type of display may be unsafe.
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections and crosswalks are kept free of distractions,” said Duffy.
The Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies (SAFE ROADS) initiative is meant to “help improve safety and mobility, eliminate distractions, and keep people and goods moving throughout the United States,” Duffy wrote in his letter to governors.
In 2021, city leaders unveiled rainbow crosswalks at Fourth Street and Colorado for National Coming Out Day. That design covers all four crosswalks in that intersection.
“I think it looks beautiful, you know, makes people smile,” Valerie Gomez, who walks through that part of town almost every day said. “I feel safe coming through this area without having the need to worry about who’s going to come to me or make me feel unwanted.”
Austin also launched a creative crosswalk pilot program roughly a decade ago, and there is at least one crosswalk with blue lines, which look like water, on Lake Austin Boulevard near the Lower Colorado River Authority headquarters.
Credit: Source link
