York Pride kicked off Pride Month by unveiling what may be a world first: reflective rainbow traffic pylons.
Express Traffic and York Pride unveiled the pylons outside York Regional Police headquarters in Aurora June 3. The new pylons, made in Canada, are expected to be used for the upcoming York Pride festival and parade in Newmarket June 21 to 22, helping to manage access points but also celebrating the occasion.
Express Traffic general manager Robert McGraw said they wanted to reach out to York Pride as part of their community engagement efforts. They approached York Pride with the rainbow pylon concept.
“We want to stand out. We want to do something that hasn’t been done before, forward moving, forward direction,” McGraw said. “It just seems something kind of unique.”
The pylons are TC-54 Traffic Barrels — a standard type used for traffic funnelling at construction sites. The pylons also include the York Pride logo, recently redesigned by York Pride digital designer James Rodriguez.
Based on York Pride’s research, director Jacob Gal said these appear to be a world first. He said this initiative is an example of their desire to make the Pride space open for the people of Ontario.
“We want to work with people. We want more people to come out to Pride,” Gal said, adding that with the pylons, “this isn’t necessarily going to stop a vehicle. It is going to start and spark a conversation.”
The day also featured a Pride breakfast by York Regional Police and the unveiling of a rainbow cruiser.
The initiative is also meant to highlight York Pride’s safety efforts, working with many partners, including Express Traffic. Gal said they are working to ensure the safety of the festival, citing the recent Lapu Lapu Day festival tragedy in Vancouver April 26, where a car drove into the crowds and killed nine people.
The pylons will help block off side streets, or act as symbols for pedestrians. But when it comes to closing off streets to vehicles for the festival, there will be harder protections like temporary concrete barriers.
The pylons “can be like a reflection of the work that we’re doing collectively with our agencies,” Gal said.
“We’re excited to have this positive impact on the community around us,” McGraw said.
This year marks York Pride’s 25th anniversary celebrations, and the organization plans for it to culminate in the region’s largest-ever 2SLGBTQ+ festival and parade.
“For us, it’s just really another year where more families come out, more people engage in Pride, and we make it open and accessible to as many people as possible," Gal said.
The festival is still looking for volunteers. More information is available at yorkpride.ca/volunteering.
