Pedestrians will soon be able to “scramble” as they cross the street at one downtown Vancouver intersection.
Vancouver city councillors voted Tuesday to approve a new “scramble crosswalk” pilot project at the crossing of Granville and Robson streets.
A scramble crosswalk is an intersection at which the traffic signal includes a third pedestrian-only phase, in which people are able to cross the street in any direction, including diagonally. Traffic lights remain red for vehicles in all directions during this phase.
In 2019, the city approved an “all walk” crosswalk at Robson and Hornby streets that also has an exclusive pedestrian phase to the traffic lights, but does not permit diagonal crossing.
Numerous other major cities around the world already use scramble crosswalks, including New York, Tokyo and Toronto.
The city has earmarked $500,000 from its Growing Community Fund to implement the scramble pilot, though a staff report presented Tuesday estimated it could ultimately cost between $100,000 and $200,000.
Remaining funds will be directed to the city’s Transportation Safety Fund, which covers measures like rapid flashing beacons, crosswalks and curb bulges.
City staff hope to have the new scramble crosswalk up and running before next summer, with staff evaluating performance for an indefinite period after that.
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