Keizer committee: pedestrian-flag pilot canceled; equipment stored for possible reuse

The Keizer Multimodal Safety Committee was told the pedestrian-flag pilot on Walsh Way and Chemawa has been canceled for lack of funding and the flags and cans were removed for storage.

A committee member reported an April 6 Keizer City Council decision left the pilot without current funding. "It's no longer funded," the member said, adding that the flags and related gear were taken down and stored at a city pump station so they can be reused if the program is revived.

Committee members suggested marking the item "inactive" on their worksheet rather than deleting it, so it remains visible if funding returns. One member said a few flags were with a city employee (Brenda) and would be retrieved as needed.

Members discussed next steps for the program in case the council or neighborhood groups push to restore it, and acknowledged that the removal created concern among residents who had relied on the flags for pedestrian education and safety.

The committee did not take a formal action to permanently retire the program during the meeting; members instead recorded the status as not funded and stored the equipment pending future council direction.