Preventing Fatalities with Crosswalk Flags
By Meghan Stallworth Schneider, MSIO
2 min read A Nashville mother who regularly crosses Belmont Blvd, proposes a solution to a potentially dangerous crosswalk. Our Design Studio visually depicts her idea.
Simple, Affordable and Effective
Map showing Belmont Blvd crosswalk location
While there have yet to be any fatal crashes according to the Vision Zero data, the crosswalk on Belmont Boulevard between Martin's Barbecue and Christ the King Church is a tragic headline waiting to happen. Drivers fly down that stretch of Belmont and regularly ignore the crosswalk. As a neighbor, I have both observed pedestrians almost being hit by cars and also been one of those pedestrians. I walk and run across that crosswalk with my kids a few times a week. Regularly, I will be in the crosswalk with my stroller and have cars drive across only to tap the brakes when they finally see me.
The street in that area allows for street parking on both sides, and there is considerable traffic in and out of Martin's, Osbourne's and the gas station parking lots. This leads to drivers, especially commuters and visitors, being unaware of their surroundings and ignoring the crosswalk or not knowing to look for people there. In the evenings in particular, the visibility is poor so drivers have a hard time seeing the street clearly, especially when there is a lot of traffic. I love our local businesses and want them to thrive, however I also want to be able to walk to them safely with my family.
Recently, I saw police cars and firetrucks in that area and my heart dropped. My immediate thought was "someone finally got hit". Fortunately, they were there for a gas leak and everyone was ok. However, if we do not make that crosswalk more visible and slow down the traffic on that stretch of road, someone is going to get hurt. It is only a matter of time.
Adding crosswalk flags with bollards to Belmont Blvd
Recently, while on a trip in Jackson, WY, we saw a creative idea to solve a similar issue. The town placed vertical racks on either side of the street that held a few blaze orange reflective flags. Pedestrians could carry a flag across the street while crossing, and place it on the rack on the other side. Simple, affordable and effective. Something as simple as this would go a long way in making that crosswalk safer.
Adding flashing lights to the crosswalk in that area, similar to how they are set up in Hillsboro Village would also go a long way. I am hopeful that with community support, we will find a way to make this stretch of road safer, for both pedestrians and drivers.
Pikes of Nashville
In addition to this crosswalk, Nashville could benefit from other creative solutions where pedestrian safety is not the priority, such as the pikes of Nashville above. If the map inspires you to think of an additional location for this solution, please comment below!
Check out these resources for crosswalk flags in other cities from 2007 and 2014. Data seems to show varying success, but implementation in the right places could be effective!
Follow the dialogue on the Instagram post from 01/12/2022!
Help us identify other locations where the crosswalk flags solution may be effective