Vancouver puts brakes on ‘scramble’ intersection
The City of Vancouver has put off plans to install a “scramble” pedestrian crossing on Robson Street after learning the multidirectional crossings are dangerous and confusing for the visually impaired.
According to a city spokeswoman, staff abandoned the proposal outlined in the city’s Transportation 2040 Plan upon hearing from the advocates for the blind.
Scramble, or X crossings — present in many North American cities — halt all vehicle traffic to allow pedestrians to cross in any direction, including diagonally. They are said to improve pedestrian access and encourage foot traffic.
They also present a hazard for the visually impaired, who rely on traffic sounds to signal when it is safe and legal to cross.
“When you take away all those vehicular traffic sounds and all we have to follow is the sounds of other pedestrians who are crossing ... it makes it very challenging,” said Rob Sleath, chairman of Access for Sight Impaired Consumers, an advocacy group that works with municipalities and transit authorities to improve accessibility.
Scramble crossings can also confuse guide dogs and potentially endanger their owners, Sleath said, adding just one diagonal crossing could derail an animal’s extensive training.
“If the dog does it once and is not admonished for doing a diagonal crossing, it will think that the next intersection it gets to it is perfectly OK to make a diagonal crossing,” he said. “That’s one of the greatest fears we have with these scramble crossings.”
Sleath said he was “thrilled” Vancouver is shelving its plan for Robson Street, although scrambles may still be considered at other locations.
Meanwhile, Richmond city staff were set to deliver a report on Wednesday to the public works and transportation committee recommending that the city’s pilot scramble intersection in Steveston become permanent.
Staff have made adjustments for visually impaired people, said spokesman Ted Townsend. “We’ve been able to satisfactorily address their concerns.”
But Sleath, who said his group worked with Richmond on its scramble, called the result “less than satisfying.”
The intersection has “cuckoo” and “chirp” auditory signals for standard north-south and east-west pedestrian crossing, but the activation buttons are easily confused with a third button that triggers the pedestrian scramble phase, Sleath said.
“It works, but it’s confusing.”
Anecdotal feedback on the year-old crossing in Steveston Village has otherwise been supportive, Townsend said.
The intersection at Moncton Street and Number 1 Road, Steveston’s busiest, got a $600,000 makeover and opened in December 2011 to accommodate existing pedestrian traffic and place further emphasis on walking.
Richmond is the only B.C. municipality to have a scramble crossing. The Corporation of Delta has cancelled plans for a similar intersection at Ladner Trunk Road and Arthur Drive, citing long vehicle queues and insufficient foot traffic.
Vancouver had two diagonal crossings on Granville Street in the 1950s, but removed them when it determined they increased waiting times for both drivers and pedestrians.
source:
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Vancouver+puts+brakes+scramble+intersection/7863096/story.html
That's disappointing, although I was unaware of the blind/seeing eye dog problems. I remember back when they first laid out plans to redevelop Granville, there were scramble crossings announced for Granville and Georgia and some other intersections, but they never materialized. I think they are a great idea, but it doesn't look like we will be seeing them anytime soon.
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