SAN ANTONIO – A transportation nonprofit in San Antonio has said it is reviewing its street art safety project amid a larger push from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to remove “political ideologies” from streets.
ActivateSA, which advocates for a safe and sustainable transportation system in San Antonio that considers all users, was one of two San Antonio nonprofits that received an AARP grant earlier this year to address community needs.
The nonprofit had planned and began receiving artist submissions for a street art mural project to:
Improve safety by increasing visibility of pedestrian spaces
Promote a more walkable and welcoming public realm
Encouraging drivers to slow down and be aware of pedestrians and cyclists
Bring the community together through artist-led public art
“We will be working with local and state officials to see how this could possibly impact our project,” ActivateSA Executive Director Joey Pawlik said in an email to KSAT. “We’re hoping this project can still move forward in its current format as it can bring greater safety enhancements and community beautification all in one package!”
Last week, Abbott called for the Texas Department of Transportation to enforce the removal of non-standard surface markings, signage and signals that “do not directly support traffic control or safety,” according to a news release from Abbott’s office.
Symbols, flags or other markings “conveying social, political, or ideological messages” are also banned, the release states, citing “federal and state guidelines for roadway safety.”
Abbott, in the release, said any city found not compliant with the order “would face consequences,” such as withholding or denying state and federal funding or the suspension of TxDOT agreements.
In a separate letter last Wednesday to city and county transportation officials, TxDOT said prohibited pavement markings on roads include decorative crosswalks and murals conveying artwork or other messages, “unless they serve a direct traffic control or safety function.”
In San Antonio, rainbow crosswalks in the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District and on North Main Avenue were placed under Abbott’s lens.
Not long after the governor’s declaration, city officials said they did not have any current plans to remove the crosswalks.
ActivateSA’s projects, rooted in the tactical urbanism trend of “quick-builds,” would produce four painted “bulb-outs” on sidewalks around Blanco Road and Elsmere Avenue — bulb-outs narrow roadways to enhance pedestrian safety.
Tactical urbanism methods often include community-driven, short-term and low-cost interventions to alleviate issues such as traffic concerns in cities.
The project would begin sometime between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, following an announcement for artists’ selection on Oct. 20, according to a project description on ActivateSA’s website.
Restrictions on the webpage prohibit the display of finished artwork that features religious or political symbols.
Texas is at least the second state, following Florida, to undertake crosswalk removal.
As early as last week, a rainbow crosswalk was removed in Miami Beach, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Houston officials also announced plans to remove its lone rainbow crosswalk.
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