Can we do this at University and Alafaya? I don't know if the current pedestrian traffic is large enough to make this practical.
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue is among the world’s most famous—you’ve seen it broadcast every year on the Oscars as the start of the red carpet. But like most celebrities, the tourist-thronged Los Angeles landmark had a very dark secret: It was known as one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in LA. That all changed six months ago.
In November, LA’s Department of Transportation (LADOT) redesigned the intersection with a new “scramble” crosswalk (also known as a Barnes Dance). This kind of crosswalk design prevents crashes by separating pedestrians and drivers in time, meaning that vehicles are stopped in all directions while pedestrians get the intersection to themselves, then the cars get to take their turn.
Marching diagonally across the street instead of waiting for two walk signals is a transcendent experience for pedestrians who are used to timidly scurrying across crosswalks. But the best news of all, at least for those behind the wheel, is that cars are also more efficiently routed through a scramble, due to the reduction of potential conflict when they’re trying to negotiate turns (which is when most crashes occur).
So if this works so well, why not do it at every intersection? Well, price for one: LADOT estimates the cost for the conversion is about $100,000 per crosswalk. But beyond cost, the goal for each crosswalk in LA has to be considered separately. A scramble is the best solution for very high volume intersections, where there are lots of cars and people. But where pedestrian volume or budget doesn’t allow for a scramble, there are other changes that can be made. Better striping and pushing the curb out can help make walkers more visible. And signals can be programmed at no cost to create a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI), which brings some scramble benefits: It keeps the light red for vehicles in all directions while giving pedestrians a “head start” to cross the street before cars will try to make turns.
http://gizmodo.com/a-simple-change-transformed-one-of-la-s-busiest-interse-1779684171
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue is among the world’s most famous—you’ve seen it broadcast every year on the Oscars as the start of the red carpet. But like most celebrities, the tourist-thronged Los Angeles landmark had a very dark secret: It was known as one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in LA. That all changed six months ago.
In November, LA’s Department of Transportation (LADOT) redesigned the intersection with a new “scramble” crosswalk (also known as a Barnes Dance). This kind of crosswalk design prevents crashes by separating pedestrians and drivers in time, meaning that vehicles are stopped in all directions while pedestrians get the intersection to themselves, then the cars get to take their turn.
Marching diagonally across the street instead of waiting for two walk signals is a transcendent experience for pedestrians who are used to timidly scurrying across crosswalks. But the best news of all, at least for those behind the wheel, is that cars are also more efficiently routed through a scramble, due to the reduction of potential conflict when they’re trying to negotiate turns (which is when most crashes occur).
So if this works so well, why not do it at every intersection? Well, price for one: LADOT estimates the cost for the conversion is about $100,000 per crosswalk. But beyond cost, the goal for each crosswalk in LA has to be considered separately. A scramble is the best solution for very high volume intersections, where there are lots of cars and people. But where pedestrian volume or budget doesn’t allow for a scramble, there are other changes that can be made. Better striping and pushing the curb out can help make walkers more visible. And signals can be programmed at no cost to create a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI), which brings some scramble benefits: It keeps the light red for vehicles in all directions while giving pedestrians a “head start” to cross the street before cars will try to make turns.
http://gizmodo.com/a-simple-change-transformed-one-of-la-s-busiest-interse-1779684171
