I love seeing neighbors take action, and I understand the good intentions behind putting orange flags at a crosswalk. But let’s be honest: this does not address the real problem. The danger comes from drivers who are speeding, distracted, or both, not from people crossing the street without a prop in their hand.
When we add things like flags, we risk sending the wrong message — that safety depends on the person walking doing something extra to “earn” the right to cross. If someone gets hit, will people now ask, “Were they carrying the flag?” That is victim-blaming, plain and simple.
The safest streets are the ones where drivers are forced to slow down and pay attention because the road design makes it impossible not to. Instead of asking pedestrians to wave bright fabric to be noticed, we should be demanding raised crosswalks, curb extensions, and traffic-calming measures that put the burden where it belongs: on the person operating the multi-ton vehicle.
We don’t need more flags. We need accountability for the ones doing the harm, not expectations for the ones being harmed. We need to stop normalizing dangerous driving and start designing streets that make dangerous driving impossible. Safety should be built into our streets, not carried in our hands.
B-W resident Sam Balto is a father of two young boys, passionate educator for over 10 years, safe streets-for-kids advocate, Alameda and Vernon schools Bike Bus leader, and founder of Bike Bus World. Reach out with any questions for Sam at sambalto@gmail.com.