To refer to downtown driving as a "scramble" is right on the money. At least it will be.
City council has approved the idea of so-called "scramble" intersections at four major downtown hubs:
Yonge and Bloor,
Bay and Bloor,
Yonge and Dundas, and
Bay and Dundas.
The intersections, popular in cities throughout the U.S. and in countries like Israel, Sweden and Japan, feature red lights that stop traffic in all directions at once so pedestrians can cross any way they like, including diagonally. Once they've had their turn, foot traffic comes to a halt in all directions so cars can move freely without having to watch for people crossing.
City officials say the move will keep pedestrians safer on the roads. The concept, likely to be in place at the two Bloor intersections by next spring, is among a slew of others being considered as part of the Toronto Walking Strategy, a campaign designed to encourage people to walk more and drive less.
"We're really trying hard to make the city of
Toronto
a more walkable, much more comfortable city to walk in and search, as well as without having to deal with traffic turning right or left," explains Bruce Zvaniga, City of Toronto Transportation Services.
Studies have found that these types of intersections reduce pedestrian-car accidents, though some have noted an increased incidence of pedestrians disobeying the rules.
And although the new initiative will probably have a big impact on the way traffic flows in the downtown core, it won't burn too big of a whole in the city's budget. John Mende, director of Transportation Infrastructure Management said the plan only requires some signal changes and a little paint.
Councillor Kyle Rae said 62,100 people a day pass through Yonge and Dundas, while 20 million people a year start or end their TTC trip at Dundas station.
The pedestrian scramble is hardly a new idea. It dates back to the 1940s and has been put into place in a number of other areas. Among them:
Tokyo, Japan: Perhaps the world's most famous pedestrian scramble involves an intersection of seven streets in front of Shibuya Station.
Beverly Hills, California: The posh city is famous for being the first in California to implement diagonal crossing, particularly on the swank Rodeo Drive.
Pasadena, California: There are pedestrian scrambles at Old Pasadena's big shopping and nightlife district and San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter.
Honolulu, Hawaii: In the famous Waikiki area, along Kalakaua Avenue there are several pedestrian scrambles.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: There are intersections near a school for the blind which has a pedestrian scramble that includes the rare addition of audio signals.
Trondheim, Norway: Almost every traffic light in the centre of the city is a pedestrian scramble.
Jerusalem, Israel: The ancient city's main intersection was revived as a pedestrian scramble after public protest.
Sackville, New Brunswick: The town's only downtown traffic signal boasts audible signals.
Melbourne, Australia: The intersection at Elizabeth St & Flinders St outside Flinders Street station has been a fixture for years.
Taipei, Taiwan: The scramble in Xinyi District near Taipei101 is one of the busier scrambles in the world.
Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana: A very popular scramble light in the middle of the campus is supposedly the busiest pedestrian intersection in the state of Indiana.