EDITORIAL – Who knew a crosswalk could cost $10,000?
Rainbow crosswalk at Lansdowne Village. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
IF A BUSINESS WAS RUN like government, it would go broke for lack of customers, who would soon give up waiting to be served.
Not that governments should be run strictly like businesses but there are times when one wishes for a little more action and a little less conversation, as the song goes.
The Kamloops Pride folks have asked City council to approve the installation of a rainbow crosswalk downtown. Council likes the idea but will mull it over.
Why? It must look at standards. It must research what other cities have done. Which intersection? What kind of paint? How many stripes? Six? A dozen? Vertical? Horizontal?
Due to all these considerations, it won’t be installed in time for the annual downtown Pride Parade in August. Staff offered to figure the whole thing out and get it done if council would leave it with them. Maybe council should have taken them up on the offer.
But there’s the cost. The estimate is $10,000. It’s going to be a really good crosswalk, mind you. It will last several years, after which it will need a few more thousand dollars for maintenance.
As one councillor put it, $10,000 is “off the charts.”
Indeed. The City of Courtenay painted theirs for $1,500. Campbell River installed a vinyl one for $3,000. Williams Lake spent $2,000.
One has to think a few gallons of exterior porch latex on a prominent part of the parade route here would do the job for now.
Of course, wanting to do it right is understandable. Vandalism is a common problem for rainbow crosswalks, so the quality of materials is important, but surely it shouldn’t take $10,000 and several months to paint a crosswalk.
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Let’s pay $10,000 to paint a vandalism attracting, political symbol in the place where a standard road marking is working just fine. Sounds like a typical city council decision.
LikeLike
In Ashcroft, we had the same request a year or so ago, it created quite a bit of back and forth discussion, got painted, in short sideways strokes, not resembling a rainbow in any way shape or form, got immediately marked with burn out tire marks, then faded into nothingness, a mess and faded negligence and who cares, do I insist that you put up a crosswalk because of my sexual orientation? Before you make a single move you ought to come out here and see what NOT to do
LikeLike
If a crosswalk can be lighted from above, why would it not be possible to project the image of a rainbow onto the surface of the pavement? No paint to apply or wear out.
The technology has to be there. LED lighting would even be “green”, Mr. Christian.
Only $150,000 for staff to study it though.
LikeLike
A $10,000 price tag seems to be a bit steep considering there is often a rainbow in the sky for free during or just after an afternoon rainfall.
LikeLike
My approach would be to contact a few Municipalities that have painted one already, asked how they decided on design etc., ask them to share their experience (good, bad & what was learned) and thank them. Set up a crew and purchase supplies and get it done! A couple of days max! As I read Sean McGuinesses above amusing but not inaccurate account of the process, I get it, but that doesn’t mean it must be a bureaucratic and expensive process!
LikeLike
The cost of this cross walk is just the tip of the iceberg of ridiculous costs. The sad thing is that municipalities are more cost efficient than provincial governments, which, in turn are more cost efficient than the federal government. We do deserve better. We can do better.
LikeLike
Agree – $10,000 is ridiculous. City staff are already employed and paid, and paint isn’t that expensive!!!!!!
LikeLike
Interesting. The Kamloops United Church painted their walkway quickly and beautifully with volunteer labour at minimal expense and it has stood the test of a lot of foot traffic and still looks great. Not saying that painting on a street with both foot and vehicle traffic wouldn’t cost more but $10,000.00 dollars ? Ridiculous.
LikeLike
$10,000 is probably a low-ball figure and 2 months is just not possible. First, you need to hire consultants to examine environmental and sociological impacts. Once the report is in, its salient points need to be discussed and debated at a town hall, especially in regards to risks vs reward. Next, a cost analysis needs to be completed by an independent firm. This can take several months given the backlog of crosswalks. Once this report is in, the city finance dept. will need to crunch the numbers and decide which specifications lie within budgetary means. A report is written and submitted to council. A minimum of 45 days is needed before council opens debate.
Taking into account city bylaws regarding use of colour on roads and public spaces as well as safety regulations, council must reach a decision within 10 days. Once a decision is made, the city works dept. in conjunction with finance, will seek contractors to design the crosswalk. Bids must be submitted within 1 month of the advertising date. All bids must be analyzed and subjected to rigorous scrutiny especially in regards to aesthetics and whether they comply with the city’s human rights directives. Once the winning design has been selected, a 25 day public comment period begins.
And, finally, we hire some highschool kids to paint the thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely correct ! Extremely sad that your take on this is right, and you probably missed a few steps too.
LikeLike
Staff said it, they are professionals, they know what they are doing…hence why question? That’s is what more than one councillor told me. I don’t believe them all.
LikeLike