Lethbridge’s rainbow pride crosswalk is looking much less vibrant than it did just eight months ago, despite being installed using “permanent” paint.
In May 2022, the City of Lethbridge was finalizing the 3rd Ave S. reconstruction project.
Alongside those upgrades, the Lethbridge Pride Fest Society put in more than $15,000 to fund additional costs to paint two pride crosswalks, one using the rainbow colours and the other a transgender flag.
The paint was supposed to last several years, but now, the vibrancy is deteriorating.
Lane Sterr, president of Lethbridge Pride, believes vandals might be to blame and feels disappointment for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
“Whether it was just a small skid mark or, you know, black paint splattered across… the vandalism or the stunting just started happening immediately,” said Sterr.
“We’re on month eight or nine and there’s barely any crosswalk left.”
Sterr has reported instances to the Lethbridge Police Service, including one on August 31, when a vehicle was seen doing burnouts on the crosswalk.
According to LPS, a 17-year-old had been operating his parent’s vehicle at the time and two tickets for stunting were issued to the registered owner.
Most recently, Sterr followed a truck to get its license plate and description after witnessing a similar situation again on Jan. 12, 2023, wanting to hold the person accountable.
“I was downtown and I saw a vehicle come up and they were at the stoplight (behind me here) and immediately started to spin their tires,” he explained.
In that instance, police said an 18-year-old driver was issued a warning for stunting and had told police he didn’t intend to damage the crosswalk but rather show off for friends in the area.
“LPS shares the concerns of community members when the crosswalks are damaged. We will continue to investigate all reports of vandalism or damage and take enforcement action when possible,” police said in a statement Tuesday.
“Anyone who observes suspicious activity or has any information about incidents of vandalism related to the crosswalks is encouraged to call police at 403-328-4444 so an officer can be assigned to follow up.”
“It wasn’t too long into the life (of the crosswalks) that we saw the burnouts taking place, and we do believe that could have had an impact on the quality of the material as a whole,” explained urban revitalization manager Andrew Malcolm.
However, Malcolm believes there could have been an issue with the initial installation of the crosswalks that’s contributing to the deterioration as well.
Malcolm said the specific type of paint was chosen after research into its effectiveness in communities with similar climates and road services.
They are currently looking into the warranty.
“We’re doing our due diligence with the contractors — the line painters — if there was something wrong with the material, the product used,” Malcolm explained. “If it’s just a matter of, ‘this is what we can expect’, then we will likely look at other options.”
While it’s too early to say what solution will be reached, the hope is to have the crosswalks back up to their original splendor in time for the summer.
“We hope that the community can get past that and we can continue to be a vibrant place for everyone,” Malcolm said.
“When you’re trying hard to make Lethbridge a better place and you’re just met with so much resistance, it’s exhausting,” Sterr said.