Maplewood Paints Rainbow-Striped Crosswalks For LGBT Pride Month

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The color scheme is vibrant. And so is the statement of peace and inclusion behind Maplewood’s new rainbow crosswalks.

On Thursday, the township will unveil its permanent, rainbow-striped crosswalks on Oakview Avenue and Valley Street - a county-maintained roadway. The crosswalks are part of the Maplewood community’s efforts to recognize national LGBT Pride Month, which takes place annually in June.

All four crosswalks on Valley Street and Oakview Avenue were painted on Wednesday. According to town officials, no other New Jersey municipality has ever done so on a county road, and few towns or cities around the world have done so permanently.

It’s not the first time that Maplewood has been ahead of the curve when it comes to social justice issues. In 2017, the Township Council passed Resolution 3-17, which expressed the municipality's "commitment to equal, respectful and dignified treatment of all people, regardless of their immigration status."

The resolution made Maplewood the first municipality in New Jersey to declare sanctuary status that year, activists said.

• See related article: Maplewood 1st N.J. Town To Offer Immigrants 'Sanctuary' In 2017

An unveiling ceremony for the newly painted crosswalks will take place on Thursday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley Street. The event will include speakers on the front steps of the municipal building, face painting, balloons, a DJ, dancing and other family-friendly activities. There will be a rainbow ribbon cutting at 7 p.m.

Dean Dafis, the first openly gay Maplewood Township Committee member, said that the community wanted to create a symbol that would serve as a permanent testament to its commitment to inclusion.

“We wanted it to be something you can encounter every day,” Dafis said. “We wanted our youth in particular - perhaps those struggling to find their way, those in need of empowerment and affirmation - to proudly cross or walk over their fear and self-doubt. We wanted to showcase Maplewood to the county, state and the world. We are proud!”

Photographer Chad Hunt posted an overhead photo of the new crosswalk on social media that was shared by Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca.

The rainbow crosswalks inspired a swell of support on social media:

• “Celebrate Maplewood Pride - love this!”
• “So excited that Maplewood is getting its own Rainbow Crosswalk!”
• “That is so fun!”
• “This is so beautiful, makes me again proud to live in this community!”
• “We need one in South Orange too! Would send such a message since so much thru traffic.”

Some community members did question whether the new color scheme would affect safety. According to one social media user:

“This is so frustrating to me. Maybe I am in the minority here but with all of the safety issues we currently have and with a child being hit just yesterday by a driver this to me is both dangerous and the wrong direction. We NEED visible safe crosswalks and brighter street lights at night. There are many that are old and in need of brighter reflective paint and new (because they have been run over) crossing signs. This to me, while I get the sentiment, is a misuse of our resources. Try walking your kid to school in the mornings and after school in the afternoons without a real fear of being hit. Maybe we can spend $$ to fix the regular cross walks and get additional crossing guards? We can do better and need to do better!”

Dafis offered the following reply to the comment:

“We’ve reinforced many crosswalks in town this year already and are repaving seven major roads and re enforcing those crosswalks too in addition to employing many traffic calming measures throughout town, humps, signs, speed radar, new traffic bureau for better enforcement... we can and will do more but we ARE doing better. I completely empathize with your rant but the facts are important for a constructive dialogue, even here on social media.”

When another social media user commented that “Crosswalks are for the sake of public safety, right?”, Dafis offered the following response.

“Nope, in support of public safety. This is a crosswalk that is safer because it’s more visible. This technique has been embraced across the country as a traffic calming measure. It’s supported by county and federal officials who work in traffic and pedestrian safety. Again, sorry you don’t like it but the facts are the facts.”

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Photo: Chat Hunt Photography (used with permission)