There's no question Flagler Beach is surging in popularity. It's no longer a sleepy little beachside town.

People are flocking to the coast.

Many visitors — whether they are from within Flagler County or visiting from somewhere else — have to cross a busy State Road A1A.

How safe is that? Well, it depends who you ask.

"I don't think it's too bad for the most part," Pat Chiocchi said. "I think ... most people respect you crossing the street."

Aby Moghanaki said she has seen some close calls, though.

"Sometimes the car doesn't stop all the way and they don't (have any) respect at all for the crosswalk," Moghanaki said. "But, it's dangerous in front of the restaurant — people crossing. It needs more attention."

Moghanaki is referring to the pedestrian crosswalk near the Funky Pelican restaurant, which is located at the Flagler Beach Pier.

There have been a few close calls and some serious injuries after vehicles struck pedestrians in the area.

A plan proposed by Flagler Beach officials in 2012 was to put up better signs and a "bulbing" out of the sidewalk — essentially creating a visual bottleneck in front of the pier.

The idea was to make the crosswalk shorter and provide a visual reference for drivers.

Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell saw the plan languishing for the past three years before he saw it had a shot to move forward.

"It's not yet reached the feasibility study stage and that's why we kind of jumped to the Florida Department of Transportation to see if we couldn't get it pushed up on the priority list," Campbell said.

But do these visual cues actually work at slowing down traffic?

Flagler Beach city officials said they have already made a difference.

When the streets in the downtown section of town were redesigned, the city put in red, brick crosswalks.

Even at intersections with no stop signs, it's not uncommon to see cars stopped.

"The red crosswalks — you subliminally push your foot on the brake pedal and slow down because you see that approaching," Campbell said.

Campbell said he hopes the improvements will start within the next six months. The cost will come in around $25,000, which will be paid for by the state.