The puzzle piece art at the Douglas and Yates intersection probably started off with good intentions. Its installation offered a colourful splash for downtown strolls and its accompanying bike shelter and mural on 1280 Douglas St were generally appreciated.

Unfortunately, the puzzling paint scraped away, the colours became dull and faded, and since then it’s been a point of contention – and a general eyesore.

“It’s fair to say that at this point, the way that it looks, nobody likes the crosswalk right now,” Kerri Milton, Executive Director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) told CTV Vancouver Island.

“We’re very aware that it needs to go.”

Reluctant To Remove During Busy Tourist Season

She also told CTV that they had always planned to scrap the crosswalk paint, but a date has now officially been set. They’ve been reluctant to have it removed early due to the busy tourist season.

The $180,000 plan for the intersection was hatched in May of last year. Equally funded equally by the DVBA, Downtown Victoria 2020, and the City of Victoria, the puzzle pieces were one aspect of a larger project that included art at 1280 Douglas St., a bike shelter, and a retail kiosk.

“This project was set up as a temporary 18-month project to do something interesting and exciting for this corner,” she said. “That expiration date is September 30th so now we’re in the process of looking at what worked and what didn’t work.”

There are currently no plans to paint anything else on the crosswalks.

Original Puzzle Art Crosswalk: