Keizer neighborhood-run crossing-flag pilot to continue amid liability, arterial-speed concerns

Tammy Kuntz, chair of the Greater Northeast Neighborhood Association, told the Keizer Traffic Safety, Bikeways & Pedestrian Committee on Jan. 16 that a volunteer crossing-flag pilot she helped organize is in daily use and would continue at its current site while the committee considers alternatives.

The program, Kuntz said, began Nov. 1 and now serves about 54 families per day — roughly 378 uses per week. “It’s going really well,” she said, noting that families and volunteers supply flags and high-visibility vests and that some parents have asked to move the location to serve additional school crossings.

The committee pressed for details and raised safety and legal questions. Officer Powell of the Keizer Police Department said the program’s rules limit it to local streets or collectors posted at 25 mph and below; he said Chemawa and portions of Lucinda are posted at higher speeds and therefore fall outside the program’s stated criteria. “That is a minor arterial and that doesn't fall under the stipulations that we had in that form,” Officer Powell said.

Committee member David Hirsch raised a separate concern about liability, citing other jurisdictions’ experiences with volunteer flag programs. “I’m probably in opposition from a risk standpoint of the flags,” Hirsch said. “I think the city is putting themselves in a risk standpoint for an injury accident . . . neighborhood associations do not have liability insurance.”

Kuntz said she has discussed the program with school staff, who told her they welcome the support but do not always have a consistent paid crossing guard. “The school is fine with us being there,” she said. “They've actually shared feedback that it's helping some of the kids who weren't going to school get to school because they were afraid to cross the road.”

Committee members and staff recommended several non‑binding next steps rather than a formal policy change. Suggestions included: - Keep the existing pilot location in place while volunteers continue to operate it during school hours. - Coordinate more closely with schools and the police department so crossing times and locations are clearly communicated to neighborhood volunteers. - Explore using portable A-frame signs with flashing lights as a low-cost, temporary measure to increase motorist awareness. - Encourage or document ODOT-recommended online training modules for volunteers; Kuntz said volunteers have already completed free online training links supplied by ODOT.

No ordinance or new program regulation was adopted at the meeting. Instead, the committee instructed staff and volunteers to share usage statistics and to notify the committee if volunteers seek to move a location that would place flags on a higher-speed arterial. Kuntz said she will provide the committee with the program statistics by email.

Why it matters: volunteer crossing aids are a neighborhood-level solution for pedestrian safety, particularly for students. The committee’s discussion emphasized the limits of volunteer programs when streets exceed program speed thresholds and the need for clear coordination among neighborhoods, schools and the police department.

The committee will revisit any planned location change and will review options for low-cost flashing A-frame signs and volunteer training at a future meeting.