The City of Vancouver is testing out a new kind of crosswalk in the downtown area — one which already exists in big cities around the world, most famously at the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo.
Known as diagonal crossings or a Barnes dance, scramble crossings are where all motor vehicle traffic comes to a complete stop at an intersection, allowing pedestrians to cross the street in any direction, including diagonally, at the same time.
This week, the new scramble crossing was activated at Robson and Granville streets as part of a pilot project set to run until at least the first part of 2025. A report on its effectiveness is then expected from city staff.
“It allows us to observe and monitor for a year,” Rich Carmona, engineer at the city’s engineering and transportation division, told CBC News. “We’ll be collecting traffic data, travel time data, working with Translink to understand any impacts to transit along the corridor.”
Last October, the city council unanimously approved a plan to trial the scramble crossing at the busy intersection due to its high pedestrian traffic and prominent location. According to city data, 1,120 buses with 21,000 transit passengers travel through the intersection daily.
Vancouver has long been interested in scramble intersections to enhance pedestrian accessibility and reduce collisions. Historically, Vancouver was one of the first cities to implement a pedestrian scramble at Granville and Hastings streets from 1953 until 1970, according to the city.
Previous councils have explored the idea of scramble intersections, but concerns about transit impacts, appropriate locations, and pedestrian safety delayed implementation.
More recently, in 2019, officials put in place an “all-walk” intersection at Hornby Street and Robson Street, which stops all vehicle traffic to let pedestrians cross simultaneously.
However, Carmona says that’s different than the new scramble walk.
“At Hornby and Robson there are no diagonal crossings,” he said. “So it shares some characteristics where all all vehicles are stopped for a certain phase, but it doesn’t have the diagonal crossings.”
The city says the new crossing will prioritize pedestrian safety, reduce crossing distance and time and also enhance urban vibrancy.
However, just a few days into the operation, not many people appear to be aware of the new crosswalk.
Vancouver resident Kevin Webster said he was unaware of the new scramble crossing until a CBC News reporter brought it to his attention.
“When I look at [it], it doesn’t really tell me a lot,” he said. “Maybe having direct lines would help, especially during the initial indoctrination period when people are just getting used to it.”
Sarah Dalo, a visitor from Pennsylvania, also recommended more obvious markings like a zebra crossing or a well-marked crosswalk similar to those at Shibuya crossing.
“If the white lines come more closer to the sidewalks it would be more obvious,” she said.
The city says the new crosswalk includes accessible pedestrian signals that provide audible and tactile cues to alert people who have vision impairments.
“It’ll take some time … as pedestrians start to see that behaviour, they’ll adjust as well,” Carmon added.
If the pilot proves successful, he said, Vancouver may introduce scramble crossings at other busy intersections across the city.