Flags to cross Calgary Streets

[Joel_D]

When i first read this, i thought it was an April fools joke. WTF, has it really come to this?

Putting flags in buckets for pedestrians to carry as they cross the street at many of Calgary’s roughly 3,000 signed crosswalks could cheaply and easily reduce collisions, says the city’s leader of traffic safety operations.

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/120...m-carry-flags/

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Mixalot27]

The next step in the plan is to require anyone who wants to walk outside to play a certain number of hours of the classic video game "Frogger".

[top_speed]

Lol how is this any safer? they should just hire people to petrol the crosswalks and hold there hand when Pedestrian are crossing the road. The only think that will work is if they put up pedestrian lights at all crosswalks.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[speedog]

Ungh and my councillor thinks it's a good idea - go figure, eh.

[lilmira]

name tag is next

[topmade]

This will go perfect with the 9:00pm school and playground zones when kids are playing in the dark.

[firebane]

Might as well just give everyone a complimentary helmet and bubble wrap because that is where society will be headed if shit like this keeps happening.

[theken]

Maybe people should not walk in front of cars or cross when the hand starts flashing, wait your turns like we should

[frizzlefry]

ok, devil's advocate here. If this is only at crosswalks not controlled by intersection lights (as I gather it is) it may be a good idea implemented poorly. Personally I don't cross unless I make eye contact and everyone is stopped. I have even stuck my arm out to indicate I'm crossing if need be.

I think they are trying to work around the fact that 70% of the time people approach a controlled crosswalk the lights are flashing but the pedestrian has already gone through. The lights keep flashing because they need to account for elderly or slower folks. So drivers become desensitized the the flashing lights and drive right on through. I know I do honestly. I look and if I see someone close by walking on the sidewalk my first reaction is to think they crossed and I can ignore the lights. I slow down anyways but I EXPECT the crosswalk to be clear.

Flags won't work but the system could be designed better.

[schocker]

When do we get our high visibility vests from the city?

[codetrap]

The school taught my daughter to stick her arm out to announce her intention to cross. Seems like a good idea to me. The arm, not the flag. The flags is a bad idea and they will soon end up as another flying trash when the hooligans get ahold of them.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by codetrap
The flags is a bad idea and they will soon end up as another flying trash when the hooligans get ahold of them.

Or when the homeless use them as toilet paper.

[kaput]

.

[firebane]

Originally posted by frizzlefry
ok, devil's advocate here. If this is only at crosswalks not controlled by intersection lights (as I gather it is) it may be a good idea implemented poorly. Personally I don't cross unless I make eye contact and everyone is stopped. I have even stuck my arm out to indicate I'm crossing if need be.

I think they are trying to work around the fact that 70% of the time people approach a controlled crosswalk the lights are flashing but the pedestrian has already gone through. The lights keep flashing because they need to account for elderly or slower folks. So drivers become desensitized the the flashing lights and drive right on through. I know I do honestly. I look and if I see someone close by walking on the sidewalk my first reaction is to think they crossed and I can ignore the lights. I slow down anyways but I EXPECT the crosswalk to be clear.

Flags won't work but the system could be designed better.

Come into my neighborhood.. There are two unlit crosswalks and at night people like to cross these crosswalks without checking for traffic or even bothering to look causing people to slam on their brakes.

If these crosswalks were lit up even a remote bit better people would be MUCH safer.

[revelations]

Originally posted by kaput
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Is there a FB page or TW feed to the city council? This lack of common sense for a city council is absurd.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by revelations


Is there a FB page or TW feed to the city council? This lack of common sense for a city council is absurd.

@nenshi

[FullFledgedYYC]

Nothing surprises me anymore. Drivers are worse now than ever. This is proven by the fact that everyone NEEDS forward collision mitigation, blind spot monitoring, back up cameras, area view, and an in-car system to make sure they can use their phone to it's full potential.

[duaner]

I was a crossing guard in grade 6. I would do it again for 80k+.