Residents choose city hall as ideal location for rainbow crosswalk

The public has spoken, and the most popular location for a rainbow crosswalk is at the main entrance to city hall.

According to a report from city staff, 154 people took part in a survey where they chose from three potential locations for a rainbow crosswalk in Oshawa.

The other two options were downtown at William Street East and Mary Street North, and at Lakeview Park Avenue just west of the Jubilee Pavilion.

The most popular option at city hall is the pedestrian crosswalk adjacent to the main entrance and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

According to the report, the city hall location received 98 positive reviews, while Mary and William received 48, and Lakeview Park received 42.

The age range for responses saw people 17 and under all the way up to 74 years. According to the report, the bulk of the respondents came from residents aged 25 to 54.

The report also notes 133, or 88.1 per cent, of the respondents identified as Oshawa residents or business/property owners.

Responses came from all wards, with Ward 4 seeing 47 of the 154, or 35.3 per cent. The lowest number of responses came from Ward 1, which saw six. Twelve per cent also didn’t know which ward they live in.

There are two design options per the Ontario Traffic Manual: a ladder design and a longitudinal design.

The estimated cost of the crosswalk is between $8,500 and $10,000, depending on the design.