Locals, visitors weigh in on pedestrian scramble idea at Charlottetown intersection

The City of Charlottetown is looking into a solution for one of its busiest intersections, at the corner of Queen and Grafton Streets.

The city is exploring the idea of implementing a pedestrian scramble, where traffic is temporarily stopped to allow pedestrians to cross in any direction at a designated intersection even diagonally.

Pedestrian scrambles are used in other Canadian cities including Toronto and Edmonton.

CBC asked locals and visitors inCharlottetowntheir opinions on theidea.

'Stop signs work'

"In this one in particular, it's a really smart idea," said Islander Shelly Curley.

"We were coming through here the other night. My husband actually made the comment that somebody is going to get really hurt at this intersection," she said."It's very busy especially in the summer months and I think just for safety of islanders and tourists it makes a lot of sense."

Some Islanders like Tracy Brown aren't as on board with the idea.

"I actually don't like the idea. Stop signs work, lights work. People need to pay attention to people walking, people driving," Brown said.

VisitorStephanie Becerralivesin a city with several pedestrian scrambles.

"I'm from downtown Toronto and we use a pedestrian scramble everyday at Yonge and Dundas. I find it really convenient as a pedestrian," Becerra said. "I think it's a great idea."

Sheadded that while Charlottetown is smallcompared to cities like Toronto, perhaps the scramble could be used strategically, such asjust when the intersection is experiencing hightraffic volumes.

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