NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Residents in Norfolk say it’s nearly impossible to cross the busy Lafayette Boulevard/Orleans Circle intersection after a safety method they were using to cross has been taken away.
“Lafayette Boulevard has been a problem for the 30 years I’ve lived here,” said resident Lisa Billow.
“People use this as Lafayette Motor Speedway,” one resident said. “I’d like to see Lafayette Boulevard safe because we’re lucky there hasn’t been a fatality already.”
Several neighbors worry about speeding. They said over time, it has become a real challenge just to cross the street.
The city of Norfolk installed a pedestrian beacon with flashing lights and speed signs, but still, the problem remained until one neighbor took action.
“[In] January, I bought these See Me flags,” Billow said. “I saw them used in another city.”
See Me Flags are a crosswalk safety system in which flags are set up on the poles, allowing pedestrians to cross the street with the flag in hand.
“The drivers see that flag moving, it gets their attention and they automatically hesitate and slow down,” Billow said, “It’s kind of unsurprisingly effective.”
Billow said that, for eight months the flags served their purpose, until they got taken down by someone who neighbors say appears to be a city employee. They say a replacement approach hasn’t been offered.
“I’m not a traffic engineer,” Billow said. “It seems to me that a real pedestrian red light would be good.”
“I would love to see speed bumps,” one resident said. “I don’t know why we don’t have speedbumps.”
Residents also say they never intended for the flags to be a problem, and that they hope to work together with the city for a better solution.
10 On Your Side reached out to the city of Norfolk’s transportation department to learn why the flags were removed, but we have not heard back.
