Rainbow crosswalks not endorsed

Police chief says colour inconsistencies would cause confusion

The town of Stellarton likely won’t be painting any crosswalks in rainbow colours.

At the June council meeting, Coun. Denise Taylor had requested that a crosswalk in the town be painted in Pride colours to show support for members of the LGBTQ community.

“Just to show we’re an inclusive community,” she said.

However, at the meeting this week, Police Chief Don Hussher explained why doing so isn’t a good idea. Speaking as the town’s traffic authority, he said the colour of crosswalks across Canada is white.

“The reason is all traffic signals from coast to coast are consistent.”

He said when motorists come across crosswalks, they are recognizable because they’re all the same hue.

“If we introduce other colours, we have inconsistencies and it causes confusion. I would not recommend interfering with the crosswalks.”

Tc media pHOtO Several crosswalks in Sydney, including these at the corner of Charlotte and Prince streets, are now painted in the colours of the rainbow. In Stellarton they’ve decided to stick with the standard white crosswalks.