More than 500 people sign petition to make Sheffield LGBTQ+ Pride crossing permanent

Sheffield Council installed the Walk With Pride crossing on Pinstone Street as part of temporary Covid-19 highways works on June 24.

As most events were cancelled or brought online due to coronavirus restrictions, the council decided to mark Pride month with the flag to coincide with its digital Pride event.

Eleanor Coppard presented the petition to keep it permanently, with 530 signatures, at the council’s first ever virtual full council meeting this week.

In the meeting Eleanor said: “I launched the petition in June with the absence of Pride celebrations in Sheffield for a much under-represented part of our community.

“Obviously the temporary crossing was put in place outside the Town Hall and it’s been received really warmly.

“I’ve had people from Radio Sheffield, Exposed Magazine and Now Then Magazine express interest in it and get behind us to support this campaign and I want to put it to the council to ask for a permanent installation of the crossing.”

Councillor Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport and development, replied: “I too think they have been well received. Proposals to further enhance the public realm on Pinstone Street have been developed and although it was implemented as just part of a temporary works we will look at trying to retain a rainbow crossing at some key area within the city centre.

“We do have to make sure it’s compliant with regulations and appropriate traffic signals and signs put beside it but these are not major concerns and the principle that a rainbow crossing in the city centre should be retained is something I wholly support. So thank you Eleanor for bringing your petition.”

Other locations for the crossing were suggested in the petition, including at the walkway between Sheffield Hallam University and the train station, the train station zebra crossing itself or one of the zebra crossings along the Moor.

The first permanent Pride crossing in the UK was installed in London last year and they can be found around the world including in Vancouver, Sydney and Paris.

The petition can be found here https://www.change.org/p/sheffield-city-council-lets-build-sheffield-a-walk-with-pride-crossing?recruiter=22102637&recruited_by_id=45addaf0-bf35-0130-ae68-38ac6f16d25f&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard