Decorative Crossing  in Wimbledon is a welcome sign of diversity to locals and visitors alike. It celebrates the borough’s LGBTQ+ community and supports Pride in London. After a short break from being swiped by pesky roadworks, it has returned with an updated design and even more colour!

A rainbow striped pedestrian crossing decorated Taylor Square in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst for a brief time back in 2013. It appeared in many photos on social media and was the inspiration for a movement that spread worldwide.

From Sketch to Reality: The Urban Impact of Rainbow Crossing Design

Sydney now has an official rainbow crossing in the shopping centre at Summer Hill. It was painted on Lackey Street in 2019, following a successful DIY campaign by local people. The crossing doesn’t actually cross a road, but instead gives priority to pedestrians at an intersection with a traffic light.

Auckland will be getting a permanent rainbow crossing at Karangahape Road to mark its LGBTI+ communities. The new design will include the colours from the ‘Progress Pride’ flag to reflect black and trans pride in addition to the more traditional rainbow stripes.

Pedestrian crossings are required by law to be distinctive in order to alert drivers and cyclists to their presence. They must also be recognizable as such, and this is where the rainbow crossings differ from painted zebra markings. These symbols have specific rules that require a sequence of white stripes of a certain length and contrast to the road surface. The Assen rainbow crossing, although arriving later than those in other cities, is legal because it adheres to these rules and is very obviously a rainbow.