Mayor furious as Government removes rainbow crossing

Updated

Sydney's Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has hit out at the New South Wales Government after a controversial rainbow pedestrian crossing was torn up overnight.

The crossing was laid across one of Sydney's busiest thoroughfares for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

It had become a tourist attraction after being set in place by the Lord Mayor across Oxford Street in bustling Taylor Square, with people having photographs taken on the crossing.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay says the council had not kept to a deal to remove the crossing from the road by the end of March.

His office says cameras monitoring the road showed the crossing had become a safety hazard.

Road workers moved in late last night and began tearing the crossing up.

Mr Gay says the crossing was removed at night because that was the easiest time to do it.

"Look, we did it at night because frankly that is the safest and best time," he said.

"There is the least traffic about and frankly less chance of (Independent MP) Alex Greenwich and his mates harassing the staff as they go about their work."

He says the council was meant to remove the crossing, but now the State Government has been left to foot the bill.

"It cost me money to do that last night, but it's road safety money and road safety money is well spent," he said.

"Sadly, probably at the end of the year, there'll be two less flashing lights at schools.

"They can blame the stupid senseless selfishness of the Lord Mayor and the Member for Sydney."

Ms Moore says the Minister has not behaved reasonably.

"I had hoped I would still be able to meet with the Minister, and be able to have a discussion about it," she said.

"The City wasn't notified; they just moved in last night.

"I thought it was an unwarranted aggressive act against the Sydney Community."

Mr Greenwich says pleas to the Government to preserve the crossing fell on deaf ears.

"They have not explained why they have done it and many people would assume that this is some sort of vendetta against the city of Sydney that they're trying to enact," he said.

"The city has made it clear they're prepared to remove it if they're instructed to. It seems the Roads Minister himself wanted to be the one to dig up the iconic crossing."

He says the Government has torn up an initiative that could have become a new icon for Sydney.

"The Assistant Police Commissioner, Mark Murdoch, said it was an innovation in pedestrian safety," he said.

"If we look around the world, installations like Abbey Road and a rainbow crossing in west Hollywood have also caused no accidents.

"There's no justification for this aggressive act."

A local resident who watched the removal says she is sad to see the crossing go.

"It's upsetting, it's sad to see a bright, nice colourful rainbow being replaced by dirty old tarmac," she said.

"Like if it was a pothole and dangerous to people they would have left it there but it's just a shame, it seems like a waste of money and just a shame."

Topics: lgbt, states-and-territories, darlinghurst-2010, paddington-2021, sydney-2000

First posted