Rainbow Crossing Design in Lambeth, London
When the first rainbow crossings landed in cities around the world to promote Gay Pride events in 2012, they were a hit with the public. The idea caught on, and now there are dozens of such pedestrian crossings in cities including West Hollywood (California, USA), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Sydney (Australia). And they’re even appearing on buses half a world away, in Oahu, Hawaii, where the bus company TheBus features a rainbow crossing on its vehicles.
Decorative Crossing , Lambeth borough in south-west London has just launched its own rainbow crossings, which are designed to celebrate the borough’s huge LGBT+ population and “reflect the dynamism of our communities”. The rainbow crosses have been painted on two pedestrian crossings outside the Herne Hill gate to Brockwell Park.
Rainbow Crossings: Beyond Street Safety, Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion
The crossings are part of a wider Karangahape Enhancement Project, which aims to preserve the character of the street, while also providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. The design was a collaboration between Auckland Transport and the Rainbow Crossings team at Best Impressions, and the crossings have been installed by a contractor specialising in thermoplastic traffic markings.
But while they’re a popular way to mark LGBTQIA+ pride, not everybody is keen on them. The unelected Tory peer Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, who has a history of expressing anti-LGBTQ+ views, recently said that the new rainbow crossings in West London would cause migraines and trigger epilepsy in passersby. She isn’t alone: other skeptics have raised concerns about the safety of rainbow crossings, and the US city of Madison had to remove its colourful crosswalks because they were being used by people not following traffic laws.