The Cuba Street rainbow crossing is New Zealand's second rainbow

pedestrian crossing A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road sig ...

- the first being launched in Queenstown in June 2018. The Wellington crossing was installed by

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

"to show our support for the city’s LGBTQI community." It is located at the intersection of Cuba Mall and Dixon Street. Mayor of Wellington Justin Lester participated in painting the crossing, before launching it a few days later on 10 October 2018. The launch date was to coincide with the birthday of the late

Carmen Rupe Carmen Rupe (10 October 1936 – 14 December 2011), was a New Zealand drag performer, brothel keeper, anti-discrimination activist, would-be politician and HIV/AIDS activist. Carmen Rupe was New Zealand's first drag queen to reach celebrity st ...

. Within weeks the crossing was defaced with tyre skid marks. Prior to its installation, the

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (commonly known as Waka Kotahi, and abbreviated as NZTA) is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, an ...

opposed the crossing. It found that it breached Land Transport Rules, writing "there is a high risk of confusion and a dazzling and distracting effect." The

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

also raised safety concerns, writing that the crossing posed "risks of death and serious injury for road users - pedestrians in particular." Later, Justin Lester told media "I'm glad that we didn't have to get the police involved, I'm glad that I wasn't arrested out there painting the rainbow crossing." The City Council said it was important to note that the crossing was not an official

zebra crossing A zebra crossing (British English) or a marked crosswalk (American English) is a pedestrian crossing marked with white stripes (zebra markings). Normally, pedestrians are afforded precedence over vehicular traffic, although the significance of ...

- "It is an art installation placed on the street between two formal signal controlled crossing points which have not been changed."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington rainbow crossing LGBT culture in New Zealand

See also

References