Colorado Springs installs temporary rainbow crosswalk for PrideFest
The City of Colorado Springs installed a rainbow crosswalk in downtown Colorado Springs Friday morning.
The crosswalk is in honor of Colorado Springs PrideFest which is taking place July 13-14. The rainbow crosswalk meets federal safety standards and compliance and will be removed on Monday.
The colorful crosswalk was installed at the south side of the intersection of Tejon Street and Colorado Ave. The crosswalk still has the white bars for the outline but has added the six colors of the Pride Flag.
Susan Edmondson, CEO with Downtown Partnership, says this is something they have been wanting to do for some time now.
“We at Downtown Partnership have been wanting to do creative crosswalks for years, researched the proper and safe way to do them; and last week, PrideFest and the city contacted us to make this happen for this weekend,” said Edmondson.
Last month, we reported when a local artist collective painted a makeshift rainbow crosswalk on Platte Ave. in the Knob Hill area. City officials quickly repainted it, citing concerns about safety standards.
No taxpayer dollars are going toward the crosswalk, it’s being produced with support from downtown businesses and PrideFest sponsor EAS Creative Consortium, along with the support of Downtown Partnership.
The installation also serves as a “beta test” for the city to install embellished crosswalks that meet safety standards.
The crosswalk sparked a reaction from a lot of people passing by. Most of the people we spoke with loved the finished product.
Phil Roberts said, “I like anything that’s prideful and that makes a difference with respect to all the good things in the world.”
While Lori Reid added, “I think this is also a good way to show that we are open to all different types of people.”
However, not everyone is happy. Reading comments from our Facebook page, some people are questioning the idea.
But Edmonson says this is about showing people that Colorado Springs welcomes everyone.
“We’ve certainly seen on social media and other places that people are happy,” said Edmondson. “This is a very common thing in other cities so it is a way to send a welcoming message during this pride weekend in Colorado Springs.”
As for vandalism, Edmondson says she hopes no one will mess with it, but she understands the possibility since this is a public space. There won’t be an increased presence by the Colorado Springs Police Department, but the Downtown Partnership has a private security team that regularly patrols the area.
You can find information about this weekend’s PrideFest by clicking HERE.
