It is what the Town of Port Hawkesbury is calling a “lifesaving” project that was put into motion by students from the Strait Area Education and Recreation Centre (SAERC).
When you go to use the crosswalk at a busy spot on Reeves Street, you can now carry a brightly colored flag to make yourself more visible.
It is a crosswalk-flag program that will be installed at busy crosswalks around town, with the first on Reeves Street near Island Gateway Plaza.
How it started
The Town says, it was early last year when some students in Mr. Broussard’s class were instructed to find areas in Town that could use improvement.
In order to try and combat the issue of speeding, the class chose Sophie Langley’s crosswalk flag idea.
It comes from the Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia‘s “crosswalk flag” concept – brightly colored flags that are available to carry when crossing the street to make a pedestrian easier to see.
Next steps
The students did their research and presented the idea to Town Council receiving their full support.
They were then connected with staff from public works and got to work on the first installation.
Feedback on the initiative is welcome while they explore other locations including downtown or other schools in the Strait Region.
The Town says the project is a “powerful example of youth taking initiative, partnering with local government, and driving community change through practical, research-backed solutions.”
The crosswalk flag initiative is in HRM, 29 other communities across Nova Scotia and five other provinces: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia.
