WATCH: In August of 2008, the community of Waverley started a crosswalk flag program. It was well received by the community, but lasted less than a year before the traffic authority terminated it. Thanks to the persistence of one man, they were finally re-installed. But what started as a small, community driven project has now grown by leaps and bounds. Global’s Natasha Pace reports.
HALIFAX – There’s a sight that’s becoming increasingly common around intersections in the Halifax area: people using crosswalk flags to navigate the streets.
In August 2008, the community of Waverley started a crosswalk flag program that was well-received, but shut down less than a year later by the municipality’s traffic authority.
They were eventually re-installed due to the persistence of crosswalk safety advocate Norm Collins, and now there are 29 locations in the city with crosswalk flags.
“Certainly to be up to 29, with another three or four that are kind of in the works, it seems to be gaining momentum,” Collins said.
The flags are brightly coloured and are designed to make pedestrians more visible to drivers. The city permits their use, but it’s the community that funds them at a cost of $200 per crosswalk.
“It is businesses and people who are supporting that, and there’s something really gratifying about the public doing something as opposed to always relying on the government,” Collins said.
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After a spike in pedestrian collisions in 2014, many of which occurred in marked crosswalks, the numbers are down this year.
Pedestrians say everyone needs to do their part to be safe.
“I think people just have to be mindful. You have to catch the driver’s eyes both ways and then decide if it’s time to go,” said Sheila McCallum.
“I make eye contact with them. A lot of times they don’t see you. I’m very careful and I will use the flags when I come across them,” said Nancy Grant.
Collins said the flags are a simple way to improve crosswalk safety, and there has been interest in the program from other parts of the province and beyond.
More flags are expected to be installed across the city in the coming months.
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