Toronto OKs scramble intersections

[amor de cosmos]

I don't know that it would work here but it sounds kind of cool

T.O. gives pedestrians green light to scramble
Updated Wed. Oct. 24 2007 10:11 AM ET

toronto.ctv.ca

It will be a pedestrian free-for-all next spring as Toronto council has approved scramble intersections that allow people to cross the street any which way they want.

At Tuesday's city council meeting, councillors approved the scramble concept for four busy intersections: Yonge and Bloor, Bay and Bloor, Yonge and Dundas and Bay and Dundas.

Under the new system, red lights will stop traffic in all directions at once. That way, rather than crossing the street with the flow of traffic, pedestrians will be able to walk in any direction they like -- even diagonally.

"The idea is to try and separate the time when pedestrians can use intersections and when vehicles can use intersections," Bruce Zvaniga, Toronto's manager of urban traffic control systems, told CTV.ca on Friday before the vote.

"The expected benefit is to pedestrians in terms of safety and general comfort."

Those on foot will also be stopped in all directions when vehicles are given the green light.

But Zvaniga believes motorists will also feel safer making turns as they won't have to wait for crossing pedestrians or try to push through gaps when there are crowds of walkers.

Zvaniga said the main disadvantage with the intersections would be the longer wait times, which haven't yet been determined.

....

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... 4/20071024

[Holden West]

Isn't that what they do (on a much smaller scale) at Government and View, by the Bay Centre and Irish Times?

[G-Man]

And Government and Fort. They have all traffic blocked and all walk signals on but you cannot cross diagnolly. Might be an idea though.

These the ones you see in Japan right?

[Dylan Leblanc]

Who says you can't cross diagonally at Government & Fort? Though the scramble intersections I have seen in other cities do have crossing lines painted diagonally to impress the fact that you can cross diagonally.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, they should make the diagonal lines on those intersections.

[amor de cosmos]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Isn't that what they do (on a much smaller scale) at Government and View, by the Bay Centre and Irish Times?

argh I didn't think of that. Maybe because it's not "official"