The San Antonio City Council is expected to approve a plan to install a rainbow-colored crosswalk in the Tobin Hill Neighborhood.
Last year, the Tobin Hill community came together at an intersection using just chalk to color a rainbow at all four crosswalks. This year, their vision will be permanently painted into reality, marking the first artistic crosswalk in San Antonio.
In less than one month, the faded white lines will be filled with vibrant colors, similar to a rainbow intersection in Houston.
San Antonio City Councilman Roberto Trevino submitted the request for the pride-themed crosswalk at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street last year, but there was pushback.
“There has been some anecdotal expression of folks who obviously don’t feel that this is something that they would like to see in their community,” the councilman said.
Another concern was safety. Some say that the bright colors will be too distracting. But in the end, the governance committee approved the themed crosswalk as a pilot program.
Arguably the biggest complaint was use of taxpayer money to make what many consider to be a political statement by a group. But, as Councilman Trevino notes, taxpayer dollars aren’t being used to create the crosswalk. And maintaining the crosswalk is already a part of the city budget, as with all crosswalks.
The money to pay for the artistry was raised through different efforts, including a Fiesta medal commemorating the crosswalk idea.
“About $10,000 from this medal, alone,” Councilman Trevino said.
He noted that the rest of the money came from donations and working with community organizations, which exceeded their goals this week.
“This is a symbol of compassion, unity, of who we are here in San Antonio,” Trevino said.
It’s a bold statement, set to be installed just in time for 2018’s Pride Bigger Than Texas Parade.