There are now red and green images of people in dresses on traffic signals in the Australian city of Melbourne. The ten new signals are part of a trial gender equality campaign. The Minister for Women explained that the trial was so there could be more images of women in public places. She said: "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 hopes the city's signals will have equal numbers of male and female figures on them in the future.
There has been a mixed response to the new signals. Many critics say the scheme is unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers' money. A leading critic is Melbourne's mayor, who told reporters: "I'm all for doing anything we can for gender equity, but….Unfortunately, I think this sort of costly exercise is more likely to bring derision." Others said it was a sign of political correctness gone wrong. Social media users asked why the female image has a dress, when many women wear trousers. Others said the money should have gone to worthier projects that helped people in need.