Vancouver might be getting its own version of Japan's Shibuya Scramble Crossing.
The popular six-way crosswalk, located in Tokyo, allows pedestrians to cross the intersection in whichever way they please, be it across or diagonally, while vehicles are stopped in all directions.
The crosswalk is a concept that councillors Peter Meiszner and Lenny Zhou are bringing forward in a motion to City Council on April 25.
Vancouver is already considered a very walkable, pedestrian-friendly city, and implementing scrambles could make areas with high foot traffic such as the downtown core and West End safer.
The notion has been tried and tested before but didn't quite stick around.
In July 2019, the City implemented a trial "all-walk" crosswalk at Hornby and Robson streets by adjusting crosswalk signals to allow pedestrians to cross in all four directions at the same time.
Unlike a traditional pedestrian scramble which allows people to cross in whichever direction they want, an "all-walk" crosswalk does not intend for diagonal crossing.
Introducing six-way scramble crossings would "speed things up for pedestrians and make the city more walkable," Meiszner tells V.I.A., adding that the simplicity of having just one signal would "make it easier," compared to all-walk crosswalks.
He notes that local chatter on Twitter suggests that Vancouverites are supportive of the notion.
The motion suggests two potential locations for pedestrian scrambles at Broadway and Cambie streets and at Commercial and 1st Avenue, however many locals also offered up busy Downtown intersections on Granville, Robson, and Burrard streets.
"We've got to think outside the box here in Vancouver and do things that other cities have been doing for a long time," he says.
Cities including Toronto, Edmonton, New York, and Los Angeles all have scramble pedestrian crossings at some intersections.
