Lexington's rainbow crosswalk is a safety hazard, federal official says

[TexasTowelie]

FRANKFORT -- The Federal Highway Administration wants Lexington Mayor Jim Gray to remove a rainbow-themed crosswalk in downtown Lexington that was installed to promote diversity, saying it poses a legal liability to the city.

“While we recognize in good faith your crosswalk art was well-intended for your community, we request that you take the necessary steps to remove the non-compliant crosswalk as soon as it is feasible,” wrote Thomas L. Nelson Jr., administrator for the Kentucky division of the Federal Highway Administration in Frankfort, in a two-page letter to Gray.

The crosswalk at the intersection of North Limestone and Short Street was painted in rainbow colors just before the June 25 Pride Festival. The Blue Grass Community Foundation sponsored the project through a grant from its Knight Foundation Donor Advised Charitable Fund.

Lisa Adkins, president and chief executive officer of the foundation, said in June that the rainbow crosswalk was intended to celebrate the city’s rich diversity and improve safety at a busy intersection.

Read more and watch video here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article184775743.html

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1. We have a variety of crosswalk patterns here

Chapel Hill is experimenting with a variety of crosswalk patterns in an effort to improve pedestrian safety. There are several around town with different colors, etc.

[TexasTowelie]

2. From what I see in the video it looks like they went with a cheap version.

The stripes look like some type of adhesive laminate that is beginning to peel off which I could see as a potential safety problem if the stripes are not level with the pavement or if the laminate pieces peel off and get stuck to the tires of a vehicle.

It would probably help if they painted the pavement within the main lane stripe white and then applied the stripes on top. That would improve the contrast with the rest of the street and make a stronger visual statement that it is an actual crosswalk.