#crosswalks

Greg Owen at LGBTQ Nation:

“Political” road markings in Texas now include an ode to rock n’ roll legend Buddy Holly. At a city council meeting in Lubbock last week, David Bragg, interim director of public works, shared that his department will remove a hometown crosswalk tribute to the music icon that depicted Holly’s signature horn-rimmed glasses.

The decision comes in the aftermath of the Trump administration’s diktat compelling U.S. governors to keep roadways “free of distractions.” The anti-LGBTQ+ order, disguised as a “safety initiative”, stated, “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.”  

The removal of rainbow Pride crosswalks, the unspoken target of the administration’s order, ties federal and state funding to compliance and has been bolstered by red-state governors’ complicity. “I don’t think it was intended to go after the Buddy Holly glasses,” the public works director said of the crosswalk crackdown. “Unfortunately, it did.” “Anything on the roadway would have to be eliminated,” he added. The four-sided crosswalk depicting four pairs of the iconic glasses was installed by the city in 2020 to celebrate Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley in 1936, the New York Times reports.

Also some more complex but super cool crosswalk ideas!

Every day I see people just walk into the street with all the faith in the universe that they won’t get run over AND SOMEHOW IT WORKS OUT every time without the cars having to stop, and yet me, I look at the cars and their speed and it totally looks like they’re not going to stop at the crosswalk, so I wait every time. And every time, all of a sudden they just stop just in front last minute so I can cross.

Is this a cultural thing? Is this actually a thing or am I just imagining it?