ATLANTA -- Crews worked through the night to paint rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of 10th and Piedmont in time for Atlanta Pride weekend. But, the colorful display of Atlanta pride is only temporary.
Robert Sepulveda, President and Founder of The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks, shared a letter from the Department of Public works:
The legislation to allow you to place the artwork crossing at tenth and piedmont will be in effect from about Oct 3 thru Oct 16 at which time it must be removedWe have multiple requests for artwork on city streets and need to work on a more permanent policy to manage in terms of public safety in the future at which time dpw will be happy to work with you on a permanent facility for this location
The cost of the temporary installation was between $5,000 and $7,000, less than the $20,000 price tag of a permanent installation. The city has agreed to allow the rainbow crosswalks each pride without the need to go through the long process of authorization every year.
"This is a frustrating turn of events for all of us, let us not be angry though. Please know we tried every conceivable option to satisfy the city's, "safety concerns". I personally don't understand how our crosswalks differ from many of the painted crosswalks we've seen throughout Atlanta. I also don't understand why they will allow the rainbow crosswalks to be installed, but then require them to be taken down, why not just leave them up?!," Sepulveda said.
The city of Atlanta released a response:
The Rainbow Crosswalks artwork displays a message that is essential to the City of Atlanta. Atlanta embraces its diversity, and is proud to be the home of a large, vibrant LGBTQ community of residents and workers.The City of Atlanta owns a collection of artwork that reflects the City's values, and has a set process for considering and accepting art into the collection. The final step of the process is legislative approval. The process of accepting the Rainbow Crosswalks artwork into the City's collection is complete, except for passage of the required legislation. A resolution granting the approval is scheduled for a vote at the September 21, 2015 meeting of the Atlanta City Council.
Unlike most artwork in the City's collection, public safety is a significant factor in determining when to display the Rainbow Crosswalks. Atlanta's Department of Public Works evaluates safety issues pertaining to pedestrians and drivers on the City's roads, and applies rules established by the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Based on the current MUTCD standards, the City's first installation of the Crosswalk artwork will be a temporary display between approximately October 3rd through October 16th, 2015.
Atlanta Pride runs from Oct. 9-11 with the huge Atlanta Pride Parade scheduled for 1:00 on Sunday. See our Atlanta Pride Guide for details on how you can watch a live stream of the parade.
Do you think the privately-funded rainbow crosswalks should be permanent? Take our online poll.
