The Florida Department of Transportation recently repainted two rainbow crosswalks after the Trump administration sent out a memo decrying such decorative crosswalks as “distractions.” But the rainbow crosswalks in downtown Athens are safe, according to Mayor Kelly Girtz.
“I have not received any indication that they will be removed, and I have no intention of seeing that happen,” Girtz told Flagpole.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s July 1 letter instructed governors to use “recognizable” crosswalk markings within 60 days. “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections and crosswalks are kept free of distractions,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the first to carry out the directive, targeting crosswalks in Gainesville and at the LGBTQ nightclub Pulse in Orlando, where a mass shooter killed 49 people in 2016. “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes,” DeSantis said.
Athens’ rainbow crosswalks meet federal guidelines because they include the white stripes traditionally associated with crosswalks, even though the spaces in between are various other colors, Girtz said. The Athens-Clarke County Commission approved the rainbow crosswalks in 2020 as part of a vote to turn College Square into a pedestrian plaza. They were installed in 2022.
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