Photo by Sam Javanrough
Dear Urban Decoder: I don’t understand how the pedestrian scramble at Yonge and Dundas saves time. Can you explain?—Graham Vaughan, Willowdale
According to traffic engineers at the giant clam, it’s more about life saving than time saving. By eliminating right turns on reds, scramble intersections—in which vehicular traffic is stopped in all directions, giving pedestrians leave to cross however they want—apparently reduce car-ped collisions by up to 50 per cent. Makes sense, except that in the case of Yonge and Dundas, right turns during red lights were already prohibited. So why did the powers that be choose that crossroads to kick off the scramble sensation? “It’s the city’s most pedestrian-heavy intersection,” explains urban traffic control systems manager Bruce Zvaniga, “and the scramble provides them with a greater level of comfort.” So basically, the Yonge and Dundas scramble serves to make pavement pounders feel warm, fuzzy, footloose and fancy free, while making Toronto feel like a world class city. Just not a terribly sensible one.
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but I love it!
September 13, 2009 at 2:29 pm | by juliaI think the main factor is that of safety. Previously pedestrians would gather at the small intersections and people would literally be standing in the street and on the corners; similar to waiting for a train during rush hour on the platform. This not only caused a safety issue but also caused a block in foot traffic going each way. The new cross walk solves this if you look now there is never a large mass of pedestrians building up to cross on way then another. I think it makes moving through the area much easier as a pedestrian.
December 18, 2009 at 12:49 pm | by Muki