Keizer committee to pilot pedestrian flag program; forwards West Keizer application to Public Works

On March 20, 2025, the Keizer Traffic Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee received an update on a proposed pedestrian flag pilot and agreed to forward a West Keizer application to City of Keizer Public Works for staff review.

Tammy Seldevar, identified herself as representing West Keizer and said the pilot would run "for 6 months" with an expected start in June and conclude in December. She told the committee the city had offered "$300 to go towards the materials for it," and that the pilot would be limited to two locations while the committee and city assess safety and usage.

The application revisions discussed at the meeting specify that proposed flag locations must be on collectors or local streets; major and minor arterials are excluded. The program will also limit sites to roads with a marked speed of 30 miles per hour or less. Seldevar said the city will provide a QR-code sticker for each flag holder so users can submit feedback directly to the city website; that feedback and neighborhood association input will be reviewed at three and six months.

Committee members and applicants discussed why higher-speed arterials were excluded. Committee members and city staff said they were reluctant to place flag holders on roads with higher posted speeds unless additional engineering measures (for example, flashing beacons or push-button crossings) were present. Multiple committee members noted that previous volunteer trials on higher-speed streets felt unsafe and that the pilot is intended to test whether the flag program is effective on lower-speed neighborhood streets before any broader rollout.

The committee’s procedural role was described as receiving and checking applications for completeness before Public Works performs a two-week site evaluation and communicates directly with the applicant. The application will be maintained on the Public Works section of the city website; if the pilot is continued after December, other locations could be requested through the same application process.

At the meeting the committee agreed to forward the West Keizer application to Public Works for its two-week review and decision. City staff and committee members also said the city retains authority to remove any pilot installation if staff deem it unsafe.

The committee discussed outreach and monitoring: if the pilot continues beyond December the city will monitor safety, maintenance, and public feedback and committee members recommended annual check-ins with neighborhood associations to ensure locations remain safe and maintained.

The committee did not approve permanent policy changes at the meeting; it advanced the application to staff-level review and endorsed the pilot timeline and monitoring plan.