Workers spent Monday night painting a rainbow coloured pedestrian crossing across Oxford St at Taylor Square / Pic: Chris McKeen Source: The Daily Telegraph
OXFORD St's rainbow crossing has cost ratepayers $1018 per sq m - even though the controversial stripes will have to be cleaned off the road in a month.
Sydney City Council has allocated $110,000 for the crossing, including $40,000 for paint and traffic management, $7400 for road safety audits, $7100 for video surveillance, $5000 for variable message boards and $6000 for RMS traffic crossing markings and $30,000 to remove it.
The council hired 20 contractors to paint the crossing, measuring 6m x 18m, in one night.
A spokeswoman said the paint was more expensive because it was a special non-slip road paint used for bus lanes and bike paths and compliant with RMS specifications.
A RMS spokeswoman said the crossing was approved "until the end of March" and said RMS did not specify the crossing be painted using the same material as bus lanes.
"(The) council chose to use a material which satisfied non-slip requirements for cyclists and motorcyclists, (the) council chose to use variable message signs as part of their community consultation and traffic management for installing the markings," she said.
Sydney councillors and Sydney MP Alex Greenwich want the crossing to be made permanent.
"Just as RMS backed down on fencing in Oxford St and overturned the floating heliport, I am confident they will again respond positively to the community campaign to keep the crossing," Mr Greenwich said.
Liberal councillor Christine Forster said she had contacted Roads Minister Duncan Gay's office to seek state government support for the crossing being made permanent should the trial show that it meets safety standards.
"The RMS supported the painting of rainbow markings on the traffic signal control boxes, smart poles and footpaths on Oxford St, but the City of Sydney has rejected this proposal in favour of the trial of the pedestrian crossing," she said. "Once the trial of the rainbow pedestrian crossing ends, I will be pushing for permanent rainbow motifs on these installations around Oxford St and Taylor Square."
This is a rainbow that's costing us a pot of gold
Vikki Campion, comment
WHEN Sydney City Council first voted to spend $75,000 on two rainbow pedestrian crossings for Mardi Gras, not an eyebrow was raised because Sydney has gay pride in spades.
Then costs blew out to $110,000 and the RMS insisted it be cleaned off the road in 30 days, meaning it costs $27,500 a week.
This is the wedding dress of public infrastructure: Wear it once and never see it again.
That money could employ four apprentice carpenters at a council, it could get you two permanent roundabouts in the western suburbs, it's a permanent public toilet block in Hunters Hill and it's the same amount Ashfield Council can afford for
a year's worth of services for the aged and disabled.
This isn't about Mardi Gras spending, which is vital for the economy and the community (and has already been given more than $600,000 in funding and in-kind works from the council), this is a waste.
It's buying a designer gown while your neighbour starves, and then shredding it because the RMS told you to.
Now that it's there, painted hours after being voted on, it has to stay permanently.
Not just because it is pretty or a giant splash of gay pride in Sydney's gay heartland but also - and especially - so we can get our money's worth.
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