DUNDEE, Ore. — When drivers are cruising down the highway going from one destination to the next, they may not be paying close attention to pedestrians on the sidewalk trying to get from the west side of the highway to the east.
The Dundee Main Street program hopes that will be remedied with the addition of brightly colored flags stationed at the town’s most foot-trafficked intersections crossing the highway.
In April, Dundee City Council approved the addition of bright orange crosswalk flags that allow pedestrians to easily identify themselves as walkers hoping to step across the busy OR 99W highway.
“The response has been very positive, with many residents and businesses commenting on how great the flags are and appreciating that they’ve been added along the highway,” said Dundee resident David Akerson, who, along with his wife Gail, led the effort to add the crosswalk flags.
The conversation about adding crosswalk flags started in the last quarter of 2025, Akerson said. The Dundee Main Street program was only formed a few months earlier in the first quarter of 2025, dedicated to supporting local businesses, enhancing downtown streetscapes, and creating engaging public spaces.
Ackerson said the flags are for locals and tourists alike.
“Many have commented on the importance of increasingly pedestrian visibility as visitors, residents, and children cross Highway 99,” he said.
The crosswalk flags are used around the state to help improve pedestrian safety. They’ve been added to busy intersections around Portland, at the coast, and in Central Oregon. Sisters, a popular tourist destination with a highway dissecting the town, utilizes them at every intersection to allow pedestrians to be seen.
This is the second initiative launched by the Dundee Main Street program. The first was a walking map that helps visitors and locals find restaurants, wineries, and art. They’re working on a “Dundee mural” designed by George Fox University Art students that will appear on the south side of Lumpy’s Tavern. The organization hosted a conversation with local business owners to identify opportunities for economic improvement, and will continue operating in that role in the future, Akerson said.
How to Cross Safely — With or Without a Flag
Pedestrian flags are a tool, not a guarantee.
That’s the message from the Dundee Main Street Organization, which offers a few straightforward steps for anyone crossing the highway in Dundee:
- Grab a flag
- Raise it to signal intent to cross
- Make eye contact with the driver
- Most importantly: wait until the vehicle has fully stopped before stepping into the street
- A friendly wave to the driver as you cross doesn’t hurt, either.
But the organization is clear that the flag is only part of the equation. Before crossing, pedestrians should look for traffic in all directions and confirm the driver has stopped. A flag or a blinking light does not mean a car will stop.
Drivers carry legal obligations, too. Under Oregon law, every intersection is a crosswalk — marked or not — and a pedestrian is legally considered to be in a crosswalk the moment any part of their body moves into the roadway with the intent to cross. That includes wheelchairs, canes, bicycles, and other extensions of the person.
Drivers who fail to stop for a pedestrian can be cited and fined more than $250.
Oregon law also prohibits passing a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk and requires drivers to stop and remain stopped until pedestrians have cleared not just the driver’s lane but the adjacent lane as well. On multi-lane roads, ODOT recommends stopping about 30 feet before the crosswalk to improve visibility for other drivers.
Both the Dundee Main Street Organization and ODOT encourage pedestrians and drivers to review the state’s crosswalk laws. ODOT’s publication “A Guide to Oregon Crosswalk Laws” is available through the Oregon Department of Transportation.
