Crosswalk Flags? They Seem To Work In Wakefield

Out of the mouths of babes. Or children, anyway. Two younger residents of East Greenwich wrote to the Town Council recently asking the panel to consider installing flag stations for pedestrian use on each side of the crosswalks on Main Street, such as in Wakefield.

The Council has yet to take up the idea. Since February, there have been two instances of cars hitting pedestrians, including one in which a pedestrian was seriously injured. 

Main Street in Wakefield is not unlike Main Street in East Greenwich. Both are roadways with lots of commercial activity and plenty of pedestrian traffic. And both are state-owned roads. 

Wakefield opted to try the crosswalk flags around seven years ago, according to Andrew Nota, South Kingstown's director of administrative services, in an effort to help make pedestrians more visible. Nota said they vetted the idea before the state highway commission but because the flags are an "accessory element" the state did not need to approve them. 

"It's so easy on a busy day to get distracted," Nota said, "between signage, the bike path, people turning – there's a lot of things getting your attention."

The flags, then, are a way to cut through the visual clutter, he said. "We're just trying to get people to slow down just a little bit more."

The flags are 18” x 18” in size and come complete with pole for $2.10 each.    "We may use a dozen or more per year and they are easily repairable," Nota said. "The Town interacts very closely with the Wakefield Village Association, the local business district for Historic Main Street, in collaborating on ways to improve pedestrian safety in this area."

The program isn't perfect, Nota acknowledged. Sometimes the flags disappear. Thefts tend to happen "in a flurry," he said. And not everyone wants to use the flags. Primary users tend to be children, parents with small children, and older pedestrians. 

Still, he said, "we felt it was a very inexpensive fix. Every year we replace a few of the flags – it's been a small price to pay."

What do you think of the flag idea?