San Antonio is asking the state to keep the rainbow crosswalk it installed in June of 2018, arguing the city has seen no indication the move made the intersection at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street less safe.<\/p>\n
Safety was among the concerns Gov. Greg Abbott cited when he joined other red-state leaders<\/a>\u00a0in ordering cities and counties to remove \u201cany and all political ideologies from our streets\u201d earlier this month \u2014 in the interest of keeping \u201cTexans moving safely and free from distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n Cities were supposed to work with their TxDOT district engineer to identify places where they might be out of compliance and resolve them within 30 days, or risk losing state and federal grant money.<\/p>\n But some exceptions may be granted, TxDOT\u2019s Executive Director Mark Williams said in an Oct. 8 letter <\/a>to city leaders, \u201cbased on a demonstrated public safety benefit or compelling justification.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what San Antonio is hoping to prove, First Assistant City Attorney Liz Provencio told the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ Advisory Commission Monday night, according to Texas Public Radio<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city plans to present evidence that there\u2019s actually been a reduction in the number of traffic incidents since the brightly-colored crosswalk was completed more than seven years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that entire timeframe, we\u2019ve had two (incidents) so there\u2019s no indication that it\u2019s made it any less safe,\u201d Provencio told TPR.<\/p>\n When Abbott\u2019s proclamation was first announced, city leaders didn\u2019t seem optimistic about getting to keep the sidewalk.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need crosswalks for pride, right?\u201d Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said at the time. \u201cThey\u2019re nice to have, but that pride rolls on.\u201d<\/p>\n But the request for an exception comes in contrast to the city of Houston, where the mayor has taken a decidedly non-confrontational approach<\/a> to Republican leaders, and already painted over<\/a> a rainbow crosswalk at 2:30 a.m. on Monday. (Residents recreated it with chalk<\/a> hours later.)<\/p>\n