In a meeting on Monday (June 14) night, the Dublin City Council passed a motion to allow the installation of several Rainbow Walks around the city. The work is expected to be carried out in time for Pride Day on June 26.
The Rainbow Walks will be temporary and will be placed near the Dame Street/George’s Street junction and at two locations on Capel Street to mark the Dublin Pride Festival.
Some concerns had been raised about the Rainbow Walks causing issues at pedestrian crossings for people with disabilities or the visually impaired.
In its report to councillors, Dublin City Council said its Traffic Department had been in contact with the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and the Public Participation Network (PPN) on the proposal.
As a result of the feedback received, Dublin City Council said it would mark the roads in rainbow colours away from crossings to safeguard disabled users.
Councillor Clare Byrne (GP) shared a video on Twitter of her in conversation with Eddie McGuinness, Manager of Dublin Pride. In the video, Eddie remarks that it was great to see a cross-party agreement on this initiative.
I loved talking to @eddiemcguinness today about #RainbowWalks and #Pride visibility in light of the cross party support for a Dame St Rainbow Walk
I share Eddie's vision for a Rainbow Mile connecting Dublin's LGBT+ businesses and allies
A powerful statement of #EqualityforAll🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/pmynLcWrMH
— Cllr Claire Byrne (@CByrneGreen) June 15, 2021
Eddie, who has been campaigning for Rainbow Walks in Dublin since 2017, said he would like to see them becoming “semi-permanent” features of the city.
In a comment to the Independent.ie, Cllr. Clare Byrne said additional streets could be included in the initiative for future Dublin Pride Festival celebrations and expressed hope that Rainbow Walks would become an annual tradition.
She also said the proposal was the “perfect response to isolated acts of vandalism, which showed why Pride is still so necessary. It’s clear there is still a high level of homophobia out there and the Rainbow Walks will send out a powerful message that this is not acceptable.”
With Derry having been the first county in Ireland to get a permanent Rainbow crossing, it is hopeful that these new installations will become permanent for Dublin City too.
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