Female pedestrian lights cause outrage in Australia

Uh oh, they may have missed the mark with this one.

Ten pedestrian figures dressed in skirts were installed on traffic lights in Melbourne yesterday. It’s all part of a gender equality campaign to combat unconscious bias ahead of International Women’s Day.

The 12-month trial was organised by the Committee for Melbourne, a non-profit organisation of businesses and community groups.

Fiona Richardson, Minister for Women, backed the move, saying it would make public space more inclusive of women.

In a statement, she says “There are many small – but symbolically significant – ways that women are excluded from public space,”. It reportedly costs an average of $8,400 to change six traffic lights, here’s where it gets a bit tricky.

Although the project was backed by high-ranking officials, it cost over 8 thousand Australian dollars, and people aren’t happy.