Woman to replace man on Melbourne traffic signal

The silhouette of Mary Rogers, a councillor in the 1920s and Victoria’s first female councillor, will replace the green and red man at the traffic lights at Bridge Road and Bosisto Street in Richmond, as a tribute to the women’s rights campaigner.

“A busy Melbourne streetscape will soon be host to a unique set of pedestrian signals to honour Victoria’s first female Councillor”. Image by Vicroads

It is the first time an image of a female will signal the crossing of a road in Australia. Local mayor Roberto Colanzi said Rogers had a strong connection to the area. “Mary Rogers was a Richmond councillor for almost five years and she led ground-breaking progress in the areas of welfare, education and family issues, initiating the very first community maternal and child health services in Victoria,” Mr Colanzi said. At a Trades Hall Council in 1923, Mary Roberts moved a resolution calling for equal pay for women. The commemorative traffic lights will remain for 12 months from May 2016.

Read more: theage.co.au