https://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ncil-melbourne
A local council in Melbourne's west is pushing for pedestrian lights at intersections and crossings to be replaced with "female symbols".
Brimbank Councilor Victoria Borg raised a motion to change the symbols at counil's last meeting on May 15.
It comes after the Committee for Melbourne lobbied for the installation of 10 special lights in certain spots in the CBD in March last year.
The plan saw lights replaced at spots including the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets to reduce "unconscious bias" against women.
The committee’s long-term aspiration is to change Victoria’s Road Safety Act to have equal representation of men and women on traffic signals.
Brimbank Mayor Margaret Giudice told the Herald Sun the change would show women and girls they were important and valued.
“We know that improving gender equity leads to very positive outcomes for organisations and for our community," Cr Giudice said.
"Research shows societies with greater gender equity have lower rates of violence towards women and children."
Last March, Minister for Women Fiona Richardson said she was “thrilled” by the growing campaign.
“There are many small – but symbolically significant – ways that women are excluded from public space… This is a wonderful way to make public space more inclusive for women,” she said.
But University of Melbourne architecture researcher Simona Castricum criticised the idea, telling the Herald Sun it was a “tokenistic” move.
“The purpose of traffic signals is to let people cross the road safely, I don’t know if we need our gender to come into that,” she said.
“Putting a dress on it isn’t going to address structural misogyny and violence against women.”
“And the idea that a woman wears a dress (is a) really outdated idea of what represents gender."