Rainbow crossing returns to Sydney’s Taylor Square ahead of Mardi Gras
Six years after Sydney’s rainbow crossing was ripped out of the ground, the icon is back at Taylor Square — just in time for the 2019 Mardi Gras.
Central Sydney
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SIX years after Sydney’s rainbow crossing was ripped out of the ground, the icon is back at Taylor Square — just in time for the 2019 Mardi Gras.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore announced the grand opening of the rainbow crossing this morning with Alex Greenwich MP and Mardi Gras CEO Terese Casu.
The crossing, located at the intersection of Bourke and Campbell st, is the first in the world to be both the shape and colours of a rainbow.
The crossing features new traffic signals to ensure pedestrians have priority, and the green light for motor vehicles will be triggered by sensors when vehicles approach the intersection.
Cr Moore said she is pleased to be opening the permanent rainbow crossing ahead of the 41st Mardi Gras.
However, the crossing and its lights have been installed on an initial six-month trial basis and will be subject to an independent safety review.
“The rainbow is a very significant symbol for the LGBTQ community, representing those struggling, what our communities have gone through both here and other countries around the world,” Cr Moore said.
“I am very happy to be able to say we are permanently opening this crossing.
“We’re going to monitor it for six months just to check in terms of pedestrians, cyclists and local businesses, but it’s here for good and I hope you all enjoy it.”
The first rainbow crossing was painted in 2013 to mark 35-years of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Two months later, the then Minister for Roads “in the dead of night sent in the heavy equipment and removed that crossing, we were all devastated,” Cr Moore said.
MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich said the crossing will become a destination and would like to see the state government continue its support of Oxford St.
“I would like to see the lockouts heavily lifted,” he said.
“Six-years-ago the state government did rip up the rainbow crossing and some of the most heartbroken people were the young children who would come to the crossing and see that as a celebration of their families and their communities.
“I’m really excited for all the young kids who will come here.”
He said as well as being an icon, the rainbow crossing also sends a powerful message that roads are not only for cars, but also for pedestrians.
The crossing is at pavement level, so people walking, cycling, pushing prams or handling wheelchairs won’t have to step down on to the road to cross.
Surry Hills resident Gabriel Wong, 47, said “When we first had the rainbow crossing back in 2013, it was a really exciting time for us,” he said.
“It was a symbolic gesture of seeing something that was really important to my community, to be visible.
“When we lost it, I was quite upset, so for it to come back now, it’s a bit of a dream.
“Little things like this helps to create a community, we need this in the city right now.”
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