The city of Durango has deployed neon orange pedestrian flags at the crossing of 19th Street and Main Avenue in response to concerns from Oak Tree Youth Resources about motorists failing to stop for pedestrians.
Oak Tree Youth Resources Founder Carie Harrison said the youth center, which offers a variety of services to youths ages 12 to 24, and its youth advisory board asked the city to improve the crossing about a year ago. The city conducted a traffic study and found motorists simply don’t stop for people trying to cross.
Youth advisory board members who advocated for improvements at the crossing include David Fitzgerald, 19, Adrian Carlton, 21, Maia Jabquest, 16, Ryin Fry, 14, and Laurel Jackson, 17.
“(Pedestrians were) waiting for a gap in traffic and then sprinting across the street,” said Devin King, multimodal manager for the city.
People often cross the intersection to reach the Durango Public Library and the Animas River Trail nearby, in addition to the youth center. Harrison said people, including her youth clients, grow so desperate for a pause in traffic that she started going into the crossing with a safety vest and a stop sign last year to act as a crossing guide and help children coming and going from the youth center.
“We've all personally had an experience of almost being hit by cars,” she said. “… And even though there's a crosswalk sign that's been there for many years, I think it's just habitual that people have picked up speed along this part of the road.”
There are several flags stationed at the crossing. They are stored in slim white buckets and are free for anyone to use while crossing the street. A pedestrian simply has to take a flag and wave it or hold it high to attract motorists’ attention.
King said it is important to remember the flags themselves can’t and don’t stop vehicles. They are only a tool to grab a driver’s attention and the regular rules of crossing the street still apply: Look both ways and ensure the path is clear before stepping into the crosswalk.
“Our young people that are coming across the street are super excited that they're not taking their life in their own hands anymore,” Harrison said.
King said the crosswalk at 19th Street and Main Avenue has been present for years, but besides that and pedestrian crossing signs, it lacks a rapid flashing beacon, a pedestrian refuge island or other pedestrian safety improvements.
Because Main Avenue is technically a segment of U.S. Highway 550, the city must work with the Colorado Department of Transportation to make improvements. Harrison said ideally, the crossing would have something like permanent flashing yield signs. But the pedestrian flags are a great start.
The pedestrian flags will serve as a test pilot for the city’s multimodal division, King said. If they prove effective, the city will consider implementing flags at other crossings in town.
“We can continue to gather data on how many people are using (the flags) and other things to help support additional infrastructure later on,” he said. “So this is just … the first step of what we hope will be further improvement to that intersection.”
Oak Tree Youth Resources offers a range of services; it hosts a drop-in space for young people to hang out in. It stocks supplies such as clothing, toothpaste, Narcan and condoms. It has washers and dryers free to use. And it offers more comprehensive recovery supportive services to those who need them, Harrison said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
