Crosswalk With Flags For Pedestrians to Use

[Brian556]

This is on "A1A Beach Blvd" St Augustine Beach FL. There are several like this on this street

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8286621,-81.270887,3a,15y,86.38h,87.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ0L5Yg_x9eEpUk2xFuSL7Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[DaBigE]

There's quite a few of those sprinkled around the city of Madison, WI. Although quite a few crossings that had the flags for years now have RRFBs installed in their place.

[Bruce]

Too many in suburban areas. These "shame flags" don't work at all...you need full-on signals and lights to stop drivers. They fear the repercussions of a ticket more than injuring or killing people.

https://twitter.com/SounderBruce/status/843972225870962688

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Grand Marais, MN has a couple intersections with these, at the bottom of the hill coming down MN 61.

[GaryV]

What happens if all the flags are on the other side of the street?

[US 89]

What happens if all the flags are on the other side of the street?

I've seen flags like this used at multiple Salt Lake City crosswalks, and this is almost inevitably what happens to them. They also tend to get stolen, which makes it even less likely to find one on your side of the street. Every couple years enough flags have disappeared that the city buys more, and the cycle starts all over again.

[renegade]

What happens if all the flags are on the other side of the street?

Or went home with people?

[steviep24]

Pittsford, NY uses these at a few intersections along NY 31.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0914284,-77.5168746,3a,75y,286.35h,76.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1staXUDKpaG8OSNvAl_yDA-w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0923117,-77.519325,3a,75y,292.1h,76.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0yJUS5ePlR5o7zBQP4AgBQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

[nexus73]

Just wave you hands over your head when walking across hazardous intersections.  The drivers who see you might think you are crazy but so long as they see you, it's all good!

Rick

[1995hoo]

I believe at one point DC tried flags on Connecticut Avenue and found they didn't work. That crosswalk now has a HAWK.

[AlexandriaVA]

All because motorists are frequently negligent in their legal duty to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

[TEG24601]

Our little CDP of Clinton, WA has these to attempt to help pedestrians cross SR 525.  Even though the roadway is a 35 MPH zone, no one coming off the ferry is doing less than 50.  There is a single crosswalk with flashing amber lights (been there since the mid-80s), and doesn't seem to have changed anything.  When I worked down there for 4 years, the advise I would give to new hires, and still give others is, "It is safer to cross wherever you are, than to try to cross at the crosswalk."  They added the flags in 2015, but I have never once seen someone try to use them to cross.

[Bruce]

Automatic ticketing with a huge, income-scaled fine. Double-checking with cameras on board the ferries to positively ID the driver.

Then we can finally fund some much needed ferry upgrades. And we could convert most of the fleet to electric hybrids!

[roadfro]

Our little CDP of Clinton, WA has these to attempt to help pedestrians cross SR 525.  Even though the roadway is a 35 MPH zone, no one coming off the ferry is doing less than 50.  There is a single crosswalk with flashing amber lights (been there since the mid-80s), and doesn't seem to have changed anything.  When I worked down there for 4 years, the advise I would give to new hires, and still give others is, "It is safer to cross wherever you are, than to try to cross at the crosswalk."  They added the flags in 2015, but I have never once seen someone try to use them to cross.

Let me guess... It's a continuously flashing beacon setup at the crosswalk...

Such crossings are much more effective when they are pedestrian activated. Like an RRFB or a HAWK, or even if it's just a regular beacon that only flashes when a button is pressed.

I feel like the orange flag setup is the poor man's solution when there's no money for RRFBs...

[jakeroot]

Our little CDP of Clinton, WA has these to attempt to help pedestrians cross SR 525.  Even though the roadway is a 35 MPH zone, no one coming off the ferry is doing less than 50.  There is a single crosswalk with flashing amber lights (been there since the mid-80s), and doesn't seem to have changed anything.  When I worked down there for 4 years, the advise I would give to new hires, and still give others is, "It is safer to cross wherever you are, than to try to cross at the crosswalk."  They added the flags in 2015, but I have never once seen someone try to use them to cross.

Let me guess... It's a continuously flashing beacon setup at the crosswalk...

Such crossings are much more effective when they are pedestrian activated. Like an RRFB or a HAWK, or even if it's just a regular beacon that only flashes when a button is pressed.

I feel like the orange flag setup is the poor man's solution when there's no money for RRFBs...

I believe it's a signalized RYG crossing.

[MCRoads]

I have a solution: wear a Hi-Viz vest whenever your crossing the street. The drivers who pay attention will think your a worker, and avoid you!

/s

[Scott5114]

I have a solution: wear a Hi-Viz vest whenever your crossing the street. The drivers who pay attention will think your a worker, and avoid you!

/s

Oklahoma's "Hit A Worker, $10,000 fine" signs seem to imply that drivers would have no incentive to not mow over construction workers if not for the financial penalty for doing so.

[stevashe]

Our little CDP of Clinton, WA has these to attempt to help pedestrians cross SR 525.  Even though the roadway is a 35 MPH zone, no one coming off the ferry is doing less than 50.  There is a single crosswalk with flashing amber lights (been there since the mid-80s), and doesn't seem to have changed anything.  When I worked down there for 4 years, the advise I would give to new hires, and still give others is, "It is safer to cross wherever you are, than to try to cross at the crosswalk."  They added the flags in 2015, but I have never once seen someone try to use them to cross.

Let me guess... It's a continuously flashing beacon setup at the crosswalk...

Such crossings are much more effective when they are pedestrian activated. Like an RRFB or a HAWK, or even if it's just a regular beacon that only flashes when a button is pressed.

I feel like the orange flag setup is the poor man's solution when there's no money for RRFBs...

I believe it's a signalized RYG crossing.

I think the referenced crossing is this one, which does appear to have a continuously flashing beacon.

[jakeroot]

Our little CDP of Clinton, WA has these to attempt to help pedestrians cross SR 525.  Even though the roadway is a 35 MPH zone, no one coming off the ferry is doing less than 50.  There is a single crosswalk with flashing amber lights (been there since the mid-80s), and doesn't seem to have changed anything.  When I worked down there for 4 years, the advise I would give to new hires, and still give others is, "It is safer to cross wherever you are, than to try to cross at the crosswalk."  They added the flags in 2015, but I have never once seen someone try to use them to cross.

Let me guess... It's a continuously flashing beacon setup at the crosswalk...

Such crossings are much more effective when they are pedestrian activated. Like an RRFB or a HAWK, or even if it's just a regular beacon that only flashes when a button is pressed.

I feel like the orange flag setup is the poor man's solution when there's no money for RRFBs...

I believe it's a signalized RYG crossing.

I think the referenced crossing is this one, which does appear to have a continuously flashing beacon.

Thanks. I missed that bit of the post. A signalized crossing not unlike the RYG signal coming directly off the ferry would do that crossing good, especially if traffic is moving that fast.

Alternatively, modify it into a RRFB, and install flashers on the curbs. The overhead signals are probably difficult to see coming around that left-hand bend.

To give credit to drivers, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether someone is trying to cross a road. Just because they're next to the crosswalk, doesn't mean they're waiting to cross. This is why ped-activated signals are so much better; it removes the guessing involved. Drivers have to run a risk calculation in their head when they see a pedestrian next to a permanent-flashing beacon, because stopping could get you rear-ended, especially along a stretch where stopping is unusual. Frankly, even as someone who walks more than drives at the moment, I would keep moving when I saw a pedestrian, as (A) I don't know if they're actually waiting to cross, (B) a serious crash could result from my unexpected stopping (assuming pedestrians are relatively rare), and (C) anyone genuinely waiting to cross, will be able to proceed once the line of traffic has passed, or when there is sufficient gaps in offloading traffic, allowing everyone to move safely.

From the perspective of someone whose job is basically designing pedestrian-friendly environments, old designs like this one suck for everyone involved. Too many risks. A pedestrian-activated green/yellow/flashing-red signal would be a great addition to that intersection.

[Michael]

A few years ago (sometime between January 2016 and August 2018 based on Street View), crossing flags were added to this crosswalk in Skaneateles.  Note that in the Street View image, all the flags are on the right side and there are none in the holder on the street sign pole on the left side.  I'm pretty sure this is the only crosswalk I've seen with crossing flags.

[doogie1303]

There are several crosswalks on Main Street in Wakefield, RI that use these flags:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4381905,-71.4996456,3a,75y,220.96h,86.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sE7Sk0pDpEAmpE_M8G1cOng!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

As some others have already mentioned on this topic, the flags have a tendency to all end up on one side of the crossing.