Slow Down And Avoid Regret

Wed., Aug. 9, 2000

Sarah D. Allison Special To Roundtable

I have been a certified flagger for the city of Coeur d’Alene for about three years now and I have a few problems to point out. A flagger is someone who controls traffic around construction zones.

When construction crews are out there tearing out a road, they are not doing it to make everyone mad or interfere with anyone’s schedule. Instead, they are fixing up the road, making it easier for you, the public, to drive on.

Also, when flaggers are trying to control traffic around the work being done, they are not out to make you wait forever or make you mad. The flaggers are out there to control traffic, doing everything they can to move vehicles around the work zones.

This might require motorists to wait while the flaggers take turns letting each other’s traffic flow in one lane. We’re trying to get cars through as quickly, but as safely, as possible. Nevertheless, I have people cuss me out every day.

My biggest problem is with people who speed through work zones. We flaggers have the responsibility to watch out for the crew for whom we are flagging. This means we are responsible for the cars that come through the work zone and what happens in that work zone.

I recently had to put up speed limit signs for our work zones. I have never had to do this before because it really had never been a big problem. But now it is.

Is that because there’s more recklessness or just more cars? Both, probably. There is a lot more traffic in Coeur d’Alene than there was three years ago.

I would appreciate it if people would respect the flaggers enough to slow down in work zones. If you see a posted speed limit sign in a construction zone, please drive at that speed limit, not five or more miles over it.

You are not going to get through faster if you speed through a work zone. The only thing you probably will get is a speeding ticket, which, in a work zone, is about $80. I don’t think it is worth it.

We flaggers go out there every day and risk our lives to protect construction crews. Please respect our signs and our speed limits. It’s for your safety as well as ours.

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