PHOTOS: Orlando commissioners paint rainbow medians on Urban Trail after Pulse crosswalk removal

(Photo by Bellanee Plaza)

ORLANDO | Orlando City Commissioners Robert Stuart and Patty Sheehan have painted a rainbow on two medians on the Orlando Urban Trail as a response to the removal of the Pulse rainbow crosswalk.

Sheehan says she approached Stuart with the project idea, and Stuart told Sheehan he wanted to do the rainbow art project before his term ends in January. The first median is located between Ferris Ave. and Virginia Dr., and the second one is located between North Magnolia Ave. and Lake Highland Dr. They finished the project Dec. 28.

The rainbow crosswalk installed near Pulse was removed Aug. 21. The crosswalk was installed on West Esther St. off South Orange Ave. in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Its removal followed a Florida Department of Transportation directive regarding inconsistent “pavement surface markings.” FDOT’s directive has been used to target inclusive crosswalks and street murals throughout the state and was a response to a “safety initiative” from the Trump administration.

”That was thousands of dollars’ worth of art on city property that they vandalized,” Sheehan shares. “They’re not making any of it right by us, and they also have not responded to our letter asking for a special exception to the rule on Pulse — and our attorneys wrote up a really good justification. They haven’t even bothered to respond. They just don’t care anymore. It’s really a shame … It’s overreach and cruelty, and there’s just no responsibility.”

Stuart asked the public works department to add concrete to the medians and they got it done within the week. It needed to cure for about a month to prevent the paint from peeling up. Both medians are city property and can’t be changed by FDOT.

Studies show that decorative painted crosswalks significantly help reduce crashes by making drivers more alert and slowing traffic, leading to fewer total crashes, fewer injury crashes and especially fewer pedestrian/cyclist accidents.

Researchers from Bloomberg Philanthropies analyzed before-and-after data of crash rates at 17 locations, including seven in Florida. They found that intersections with art saw a drop in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.

”One of the things that’s really upsetting to me is we’ve already had two pedestrian and car crashes at intersections, one on Michigan and one on Rosalind,” Sheehan says.

While painting the medians, the commissioners said they only received positive responses from bike riders and those walking on the Urban Trail.

Sheehan says she is paying for the materials to paint the rainbows from her office budget, as it is a public improvement. She says she has more rainbow art projects she is working on, including the repainting of storm drains.