AUGUSTA — City officials got a first-hand look Thursday at why people on foot may need some help safely crossing the street while demonstrating how pedestrians will use orange flags stationed at crosswalks to let drivers know they will be crossing.

At least three motorists continued to drive on without stopping despite City Engineer Tyler Pease waving one of the flags while trying to cross Mt. Vernon Avenue at its busy intersection with Bond, Boothby and State streets.

Police Chief Jared Mills and Public Works Director Lesley Jones, both in brightly-colored safety vests, stood nearby watching it all unfold. Mills caught up to one of the drivers, a taxi-cab operator who stopped in a nearby parking lot, and gave him a verbal warning for not stopping at the crosswalk.

Eventually drivers in both lanes did stop, allowing Pease to cross. It was filmed for an installment in Mills’ occasional, online video series “Chat with the Chief.”

Jones said the flags are part of ongoing efforts to improve pedestrian safety in the city. She said the city is trying different things in hopes a variety of methods of grabbing the attention of potentially distracted drivers will make it safer.

The city plans to try out pedestrian flags at three crosswalks on heavily traveled roads with crosswalks that don’t already have flashing beacons at them.

Each of the crosswalks will start with six flags mounted on wooden handles on each side of the street, sitting in small containers by the crossing. Pedestrians will pick one up, step up to the crosswalk and wave the flag to get the attention of motorists, and then cross. Pedestrians are asked to leave the flags in the container on the opposite side of the street for someone else to use.

“One of the issues we’re having is motorists don’t always see pedestrians,”

Jones said. “So this is something a pedestrian can do.

Motorists have a responsibility to stop if I’m in a crosswalk, but as a pedestrian, I also have a responsibility to let drivers know I want to cross. It’s a two-way street.”

Mills said motorists have become increasingly distracted, paying attention to their phones or other things instead of their driving.

He said distracted driving seems worse recently since more drivers have returned to the roads as the pandemic has waned.

Augusta is not the first to try arming pedestrians with flags in the battle for motorists’ attention.

Jones said Patrick Adams, the state’s transportation planner, said the flags have been used elsewhere and worked well in some places, but not in others.

The city’s proposals to improve pedestrian safety preceded the tragic deaths of three local residents, two women and a 1-year-old girl.

They were struck and killed while walking on Cony Road last month. Officials are considering adding a sidewalk to that section of Cony Road.

In 2019 a Maine Department of Transportation study prompted by concern over accidents involving pedestrians recommended the city take multiple steps to improve the visibility of pedestrian crossings. The report urged the city to make pedestrian crossings more visible.

Jones said other steps taken to try to increase pedestrian safety include putting flashing lights at some crosswalks to alert motorists that someone is crossing the street. Another step was enhanced striping to increase the visibility of crosswalks.

While state law requires motorists to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, Mills said, it also requires pedestrians to show their intent to cross the street, so motorists know to stop for them.

“What I think (making the pedestrian flags available) does is, if used properly, it takes the guesswork out of it. It absolutely locks that driver in to having to stop,”

Mills said. “It’s an educational campaign, including for pedestrians. Because part of the Maine law is you actually have to show intent to cross the roadway.”

Keith Edwards — 207-621-5647 kedwards@centralmaine. com Twitter: @kedwardskj