Are black tire marks on rainbow crosswalk vandalism?
Debate among city staff as to whether the marks were made deliberately, says mayor
Black tire streaks on Hamilton’s new rainbow Pride crosswalk in front of city hall are causing some concern they were deliberately made by a driver spinning tires to vandalize the LGBTQ flag symbol.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger said there is some debate among staff as to whether the marks were made on purpose or are a normal occurrence of rubber wearing off tires on hot pavement in the dead of summer.
“I’m suspicious,” he said. “Just the way it (the marking) sits there. It’s odd that it’s just before and after the crosswalk (and into the crossing).”
Eisenberger said some staff think the marks may be due to
CMYthis summer’s hot weather, but he noted that he hasn’t seen the same kind of tire impressions on white crosswalk markings.
“I suspect it’s wilful ... but at this point, we’ll fix it and see what happens.”
The black marks will be eliminated with touch-up paint, he said.
“The good news is this is the only one with the problem.”
The city completed three painted crosswalks in the Pride and transgender flag colours on Aug. 2.
The main one — the most travelled, which has the markings — is on Main Street West in front of city hall.
A smaller one is painted nearby in the crosswalk at Summers Lane, near FirstOntario Centre (formerly Hamilton Place).
The third is outside McMaster University at the main campus’s Sterling Street entrance.
The rainbow crosswalks are a symbol of inclusiveness among the LGBTQ community.
David Ferguson, city supervisor of traffic engineering, said it’s always possible people may be doing burnouts or laying rubber on the crosswalks, but it is also possible the marks could be from tires wearing down in the heat and leaving marks on the hot pavement.
Ferguson said he hasn’t seen the marks, but noted that “usually a burnout is very distinct and very black.”
At this point, he said he is not aware of the marks being an act of vandalism.
Ferguson also said traffic cameras are at the crosswalk to help with the flow of traffic, but there are no security cameras at the location.
If the marks were vandalism, the police would have to catch a driver in the act.
Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman said there have been no reportsof vandalism related to the crosswalks at this point, so police are not investigating the matter.
Similar black streaks appeared in crosswalks in Kitchener and Waterloo in late May and in July, prompting Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic to denounce what he believed to be deliberate acts.
Various residents in that region pointed out that the last such marking in July was made after a vehicle had to stop suddenly.
However, Cait Glasson, chair of Spectrum, an LGBTQ community space in the region, said such comments stretch credulity because the marks start at the beginning of the crosswalk and just happen to finish at the end.
In Hamilton, meanwhile, Eisenberger said that although he has fielded some rare negative comments about the rainbow crosswalks downtown, he has also received praise and many compliments about them.
I suspect it’s wilful ... but at this point, we’ll fix it and see what happens. HAMILTON MAYOR FRED EISENBERGER