Stop Austin's Erasure of Pride and Community Crosswalks

Call Script and Letter Template May 26, 2026

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U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Here's what to say:

I'm calling about TxDOT ordering Austin to remove its Pride crosswalk and Black Artists Matter mural.
TxDOT is using $175 million in transportation funding as leverage to erase community public art. The city complied without a legal challenge.
A Bloomberg Philanthropies study shows colored crosswalks reduce pedestrian crashes by 49.6%. The safety argument does not hold up.
I'm asking you to oppose using state transportation funding as a weapon against cities and their public art. Thank you.

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Write Your Own Letter

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Dear [Senator/Representative name],

I am writing as a constituent from [city, state] about stop austin's erasure of pride and community crosswalks.

TxDOT is using $175 million in transportation funding as leverage to erase community public art. The city complied without a legal challenge.

A Bloomberg Philanthropies study shows colored crosswalks reduce pedestrian crashes by 49.6%. The safety argument does not hold up.

The facts support this: $175 million Austin transportation funding TxDOT threatened to withhold over crosswalk art. 49.6% Reduction in pedestrian crashes at crosswalks with colored art, per Bloomberg Philanthropies. 6 Public art crosswalk sites Austin agreed to erase under TxDOT pressure.

I am asking you to take a public position on this issue and act accordingly. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Key Facts to Mention

Use these in your letter, call, email, or social post.

$175 million Austin transportation funding TxDOT threatened to withhold over crosswalk art

49.6% Reduction in pedestrian crashes at crosswalks with colored art, per Bloomberg Philanthropies

6 Public art crosswalk sites Austin agreed to erase under TxDOT pressure

Austin submitted its compliance plan to TxDOT on June 22, agreeing to erase six sites of public art from city streets. The rainbow Pride crosswalk at 4th and Colorado, installed on National Coming Out Day in 2021 after an eight-year community campaign, will be ground off. The Black Artists Matter mural on East 11th Street, painted by 70 volunteers in 2020, will be replaced with standard white lines.

TxDOT threatened $175 million in Austin transportation grants, a $25 million Lady Bird Lake boardwalk project, and airport and transit funding. The city never disclosed whether its own attorney reviewed whether TxDOT has the statutory authority to condition unrelated project funding on crosswalk removal. Austin went from 16 identified art sites in October 2025 to zero by summer 2026.

A Bloomberg Philanthropies study found colored crosswalks cut pedestrian crashes by 49.6%. The safety data says the opposite of what TxDOT claims. Write your state legislators and ask whether they support using transportation funding as leverage against public art. Contact Austin City Council and demand a public hearing on whether the city should have challenged TxDOT's legal authority before complying.