Tirade - Resources

Recently I was riding my bike along a side, side street.  A couple of men were digging a trench across the road about four feet deep - no doubt to lay a pipe of some sort.  There were plenty of orange cones on both sides to give warning and also big signs places prominently well before the hazard.  But there were also two flag men with slow/stop hand signs.  Now I know that we have to be aware of safety at all times, but isn't this a little over the top?  I don't suppose more than ten cars an hour go down this very quiet street, and do we really need two men at $50,000 a year plus all the usual benefits and pensions to hold up the little traffic there is?  Come on People!