Orange City Council plans to install several 'scramble crossings' in the central business district as part of the Future City project.
One major aim of the Future City project is to make the CBD more walkable and create alternatives for vehicles.
Scramble crossings at intersections involve stopping all vehicles in all directions for one 'traffic light cycle' letting pedestrians cross in any direction.
Scramble crossings would improve the CBD for pedestrian movement and would encourage cars to use alternate roads, rather than driving straight through the main street.
An example of a scramble crossing. In NSW zebra crossing line markings are not painted on the road.
Part of Future City is about changing the CBD from a thoroughfare for traffic to a destination.
The plan is, Summer Street will be transformed from a highway into a high street, where people use their cars to casually cruise around, at a slower pace, park, then walk to various shops, cafes and restaurants.
Scramble crossings are proposed for key intersections:
- Lords Place/Summer Street
- Sale Street/Summer Street
- Anson Street/Summer Street.
The intersections are similar to the intersection near the Queen Victoria Building in George Street, Sydney and in Church Street in Parramatta where pedestrians walk in any direction when the traffic lights turn red.
Scramble crossings are used in locations in inner city New York and across Japan.
Scramble crossings are safer for pedestrians than traditional intersections as they remove cars from the intersection completely, rather than relying on cars to give way to pedestrians.
Providing a safer, more convenient experience for people crossing the street is a key way to get people walking more.
Making the CBD more walkable is better for local businesses.
A scramble crossing in proposed for the Lords Place and Summer Street intersection.
