Not enough pedestrians yet for “scramble corner,” city says
LETHBRIDGE – As the city prepares to begin work next year on the 3 Avenue reconstruction project, one component of the proposal will not go ahead.
One of the concepts shown at an open house last year was a “scramble corner” at 3 Avenue and 5 Street. Signals stop traffic in all four directions to allow pedestrians to cross any way, including diagonally. Craig Richter, the senior project administrator, told Lethbridge News Now the city will not implement it as part of this project.
“When you have a very low pedestrian volume, now that means that all four directions of traffic are stopped for what could be one or two pedestrians, even. So that leads to some operational inefficiencies, and could be some compliance issues or driver frustration, things of that nature,” Richter said.
“So, what we decided when we looked at this, you know, downtown Toronto or even Calgary or somewhere like that, it might be a bit more beneficial. But at this particular intersection, now is just not the time for it.”