A Camden resident is threatening to sue the borough over four zebra crossings painted in the colours of the transgender flag nearly four years ago.
The local authority installed the blue, pink and white crossings in Bloomsbury in November 2021, at a cost of £10,464, to “help celebrate transgender awareness”.
Blessing Olubanjo, 57, an evangelical Christian, is now threatening legal action over the crossings at Tavistock Place and Marchmont Street, The Telegraph reports.
She said: “I brought this case because I believe in fairness, freedom of belief, and the proper role of public institutions.“As a Christian and a taxpayer, I should not be made to feel excluded or marginalised by political symbols in public spaces.“This crossing sends a message that only one viewpoint is welcome, and that’s not right in a truly democratic society.“I’m standing up not just for myself, but for everyone who feels silenced or sidelined by discredited, harmful activism forced on the public by ideologically captured local authorities.”
Mrs Olubanjo argues that the crossings breach political neutrality rules under the Local Government Act 1986, claiming they amount to “unlawful political messaging”. She also says they infringe on freedom of belief and expression under the Human Rights Act 1998.
She is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre. Its chief executive, Andrea Williams, said: “The crossing is a visual endorsement of a contested ideology, installed by a public authority in breach of its legal duties.“This is not the role of local government. Public spaces should be able to be used by everyone, not to advance divisive agendas that alienate people of faith and those who hold to biological reality.“The council needs to remove or redesign the crossing and apologise to its residents and local businesses.”
The council was warned about potential risks associated with the design as far back as autumn 2021. The Royal National Institute for the Blind said the colours could confuse blind people or those with poor vision attempting to cross the busy road.
Transport for London’s Independent Disability Advisory Group also raised concerns, saying people with learning disabilities, dementia or sensory sensitivity — particularly those on the autistic spectrum — could be made anxious by the brightly coloured crossings.
