Wave the flag for pedestrians

©2013 Lydia Hinshaw

Pedestrian warning sign. . .

.
. . .and at the crosswalk

  ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, FL -- Pedestrians are on the endangered list in Florida. The average driver here regards anything in a crosswalk as a target of opportunity.

 Last May 7, I posted about a pedestrian warning sign at a crosswalk in my neighborhood, complete with a picture of the sign lying in the street, smashed to bits.  That's happened at least once more this winter, and goodness knows how many times during the five months we were away.

 It's always tough to come home and get used to this situation every October.  In the Western states where we spend the hot and humid part of the year, drivers are much more alert and considerate and will stop if you even look like you might be thinking of crossing the street sometime in the next hour.  And they never seem put out, much less enraged, that someone on foot needs to get somewhere.

 Sunday Prince Charming and I encountered a pedestrian-safety feature we hadn't seen before.

 On a trip two counties north to this beach community, we found several crosswalks across A1A (major beach road) that were equipped with orange flags, three or four of them in a special holder on each side of the busy four-lane street.

 If you want to cross, you can wave a flag in the air to signal your intention.  You can even keep waving it as you carry it across and then leave it in the flag-holder on the other side.

 The Prince couldn't wait to try this out.  He stood there and waved a flag and sure enough, a driver duly came to a stop short of the crosswalk.  We didn't take the flag with us, but we did cross without fear.

 Not a bad idea, based on our single experience.  But the cynic in me wonders how often the city has to replace stolen flags.