Readers asked, city answered: No rainbow crosswalks in KC, but earth tone design submissions welcome

Kansas City decision makers are welcoming advocates of a rainbow crosswalk to walk the line and make their passions known — so long as they’re willing to get creative.

“Your article sparked some great conversation within our department too,” Maggie Green,  KCMO public works information officer, said in reference to active social media conversations ignited by a recent Startland report that explored the legality and workability of installing a rainbow-colored crosswalk in Kansas City, Missouri, to mark LGBTQ+ pride.

Citizen-designed decorative crosswalks would only be considered by city officials so long as they utilize colors that fall into an earth tone palette, Green said previously.

Click here for an in-depth look at the city’s decision making process.

Newly aware of such requirements, readers came to Startland with a new question: Would KCMO allow rainbow crosswalks in a spectrum of earth tone colors?

The city’s answer: Go for it!

“If the design does not substantially deviate from the standard earth tone colors, Public Works has authority to review and approve,” Green explained. “A resident can send a decorative crosswalk design using approved, earth tone colors to our traffic engineering team for review and approval.”

43rd and Main streets, Kansas City, Missouri

With more clarification came a second social media question: Why are red and white decorative crosswalks installed at 43rd and Main streets?

“43rd and Main was installed per a council request. And yes, the colors used at this location are considered earth tones,” Green answered.

The area in question features a full, brick red square with decorative numbers woven into it.

“Examples of acceptable treatments include brick lattice patterns, paving bricks, paving stones, setts, cobbles, or other resources designed to simulate such paving. Acceptable colors for these materials would be red, rust, brown, burgundy, clay, tan or similar earth tone equivalents. All elements of pattern and color for these treatments are to be uniform, consistent, repetitive, and expected so as not to be a source of distraction,” reads the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Brighter shades of green paint are acceptable on city streets, but only in bike lanes, city guidelines read.

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