FEATURE
RAINBOW CROSSING
The City’s Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Councillor Rob Quintas, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, crossed the rainbow pedestrian crossing located along Somerset Road, between the intersections with Alfred Street and Dixon Street in Green Point
THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN, BEING THE FIRST CITY IN SOUTH AFRICA TO HAVE A RAINBOW PEDESTRIAN CROSSING - ENDORSING THE CITY’S SUPPORT FOR ITS LGBT+ COMMUNITY
G
reen Point in Cape Town is now the proud host of a pedestrian crossing in the rainbow colours, the worldwide symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community. This district has in the past been home to many, if not the majority, of the LGBTQIA+ social amenities in the Mother City as well as the annual Cape Town Pride Parade and Festival Mardi Gras. The crossing is also supplemented with a pink strip painted on the sidewalks which serves as a Pink Route to guide visitors and tourists through this iconic LGBTQIA+ neighbourhood and beyond. The pedestrian crossing in the rainbow colours – red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet – is located along the busy Somerset Road, between the intersections with Alfred Street and Dixon Street in Green Point. ‘Cape Town is known for its vibrant LGBTQIA+ nightlife and community. We want all to feel welcome in our city where we embrace diversity and the addition of this bold pedestrian crossing to our road network will help spread this message. It also speaks to innovation in public spaces and support for public art that we’d like to foster,’ said the City’s Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis. The pink lane, which has caused some controvery on social media, runs along Somerset Road, all the way from the intersection with Liddle Sreet, and then along Dixon, Waterkant, and Rose Streets, up to the intersection with Strand Street. ‘You cannot miss the Pink Route, it is about 20cm wide, and Mag 28
painted on the sidewalk. This is a fun way for visitors to get to know the area and a great addition to our tourist offering soon before the peak holiday season. It is also intended to create awareness and celebrate Cape Town as an inclusive city. ‘This exciting ‘place maker’ precinct activator is the first of its kind in Cape Town, and is aimed at re-invigorating the buzz of the LGBTQIA+ district using road markings. There are many more spaces in the city that can be looked into in future and where heritage or unique attractions can be amplified by using sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. I’m calling on visitors and residents to look out for this crossing, and to follow the Pink Route as they explore this part of our city,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas. When the Rainbow Crossing was first unveiled, social media was buzzing, with supportive comments: 3 Fingers wrote, “Initially, when I saw this it put a huge smile on my face because it promotes progressiveness in inclusivity and diversity...” Hayden Oosthuizen: “Love this!”️ Tertia Alethea Fairbairn: “Love this!! Truly awesome!!” Natalie Williams: “Moooove over zebras the proud rainbows are moving in on your space” Tristan Mathlay said, “I saw it yesterday and was super impressed!! Love this can’t wait to see more!!”
