Dallas, Texas – Dallas will start taking down decorative pavement markings, like rainbow-colored crosswalks, after state transportation officials told the city it may lose important road funds if it didn’t follow the rules.
Officials in Dallas announced on Friday that the city has told the Texas Department of Transportation that it will remove all road markings that don’t meet the rules within 90 days. The notice was sent in before the January 31 deadline, which was set by the state after it issued a final order for a formal compliance plan.
The city and TxDOT had been going back and forth for months before making this decision. In November, Dallas contested a statewide directive that state leaders said would do rid of “political” or non-standard road designs. That appeal was turned down, which didn’t provide municipal officials with many options. A city statement says that about 30 crosswalks in Dallas will be removed so that the city doesn’t lose any state or federal transportation money.
A lot of the decorations that are going to be taken down are in Oak Lawn, a neighborhood that has long been home to the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Rainbow crosswalks have been emblems of Pride in this area. City authorities maintain that the decorative bricks and colorful patterns on crosswalks were never meant to send a political message.
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City Manager Tolbert said Dallas would comply while continuing conversations with residents. He stated in a statement, reported by FOX4, that the city values its relationship with TxDOT and will work with neighborhoods who are affected to find other ways to honor their communities.
The struggle started in October, when Governor Greg Abbott told communities to get rid of road designs that don’t match state standards for uniformity. Abbott said that these kinds of markers could be distracting to drivers and make roads less safe. His directive came at a time when murals and decorative crosswalks in a number of Texas communities were already being examined.
Other big cities have already done something. Last October, Houston took down a rainbow crosswalk in the Montrose neighborhood. Austin was given 30 days to take down similar markings in the downtown area. To meet state regulations, Laredo also ripped down a mural.
Dallas was one of the last big cities to hold out. City authorities believe complying is the only option now that financing is on the line, even as the fight over public space and free speech continues.
