A so-called 3D crosswalk painted by a local resident in Dartmouth has been erased by city crews with the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Artist Doug Carleton painted black lines to accompany the existing white lines on the crosswalk at the Elliot Street intersection, transforming the crosswalk into a three-dimensional image.

Carleton had concerns about the visibility of the pre-existing crosswalk. He said the black lines would make the crosswalk more visible to vehicles, making the street safer for pedestrians.

Many residents in the neighborhood seemed to like the idea, but Carleton did not get permission before painting the black lines.

Municipal authorities say altering a crosswalk violates the Motor Vehicle Act and, after reviewing the situation, they decided to remove it.

Municipal crews spent Thursday scrubbing the black lines with graffiti-removal solution.