Elm Grove resident Karen Steen was not happy with the traffic situation in the village, particularly with a crosswalk on Watertown Plank Road near St. Mary's Church.

Steen, a mother of five, decided to do something about it and contacted, village trustee Jan Schoenecker, who was chair of the public safety committee.

"Cars simply were not stopping for her kids regardless of shouting or waving of hands," Schoenecker said, referring to Steen.

"She made recommendations for trimming bushes that caused limited view and the addition of some blinking pedestrian signs. We adopted the recommendation, plus asked for additional police patrol at peak hours. All the measures helped to a degree, but didn't solve the problem."

Schoenecker decided to do a little research.

"I went to the intersection one afternoon at about 4:45 p.m. and during a 45-minute period of time, I would say that out of 200 cars, four stopped for me to cross," Schoenecker said.

"Both Karen and I agreed that this was not a problem of malicious intent by drivers, just lack of education on the part of pedestrians and drivers."

Rather than waving a white flag of surrender, the two decided to try a red one instead.

A business owner told Steen about Dane County's "Adopt a Crosswalk Program." Five red flags are placed in containers at each side of the crosswalk. Pedestrians and bikers wishing to cross the street use the flags to signal their intention to drivers. Once they've crossed, they put the flag in the other bucket.

A flyer detailing the program says; "The flag is a powerful new pedestrian / bike-to-driver communication tool. The pedestrian / biker can more easily assert his statutory right to cross in a crosswalk, while the driver has a clear visual signal that the pedestrian / biker is intending to cross.

"The flag doesn't automatically make drivers stop, so you must exercise the usual caution about stepping into the path of a moving vehicle. However, it does generally make crossing the street a much faster, safer, and more pleasant exercise for the beleaguered pedestrian / bikers."

Schoenecker, who described the plan as "simple, inexpensive and effective in Madison," sent an e-mail asking for volunteers for three main crosswalks on Watertown Plank Road.

Three families responded, including Steen and her husband, Steve, Gwen and Robert Medved and Rick and Trish Ormsby. Shorewest Realtors donated the first 50 flags.

"These three young families were incredible," Schoenecker said. "They jumped to action and had a plan within no time about educating the public about the flags. All three spent a great deal of time getting the flags, working on design of the holders, copying and distributing the flyers, installing the flags and talking up the project.

"From what I have heard, the flags are working and drivers are responding."

Steen said that all the feedback she has encountered has been positive.

"Motorists are commenting that not only is it easier to see children crossing with the flags in their hands, the flags themselves serve as a warning that there is a crosswalk.

"It really helps with the visibility of the crosswalks, especially since now they are snow covered. I am also pleasantly surprised that it appears we still have most of the original flags. We were anticipating some stealing of flags at first, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

"I can tell they are being used because I watch the flag
patterns as I go through the village each day. Sometimes there are just a few in the bucket on one side of the street and the next day there will be just a few on the other side. So far, so good!"

Schoenecker said the village is creating an ad hock committee to establish a pedestrian / bike safety month.

"We are determined to have a pedestrian, bike-friendly community," she said. "The committee will determine other problem areas and possibly expand the program."