City unveils new pedestrian scramble intersection

Score one for the latte sippers: the city sent out a press release this morning announcing that a new four-way pedestrian scramble is going live today. Bay and Bloor, rammed at lunchtime with Yorkville office dwellers and shoppers, will join Yonge-Dundas and Yonge-Bloor as the city’s third pedestrian priority intersection. A fourth, at Bay and Dundas, should be in place soon—that is, unless the scrambles are eliminated in Rob Ford’s attempt to stop that war on the car we’ve heard so much about.

A quick check on the city’s Web site reveals that Ford didn’t vote for or against the intersections when they came before council in 2007—in fact, he didn’t vote at all (only Ford allies Mike Del Grande, Doug Holyday and John Parker were opposed). But more than a few frustrated drivers have grumbled about the traffic buildup at Yonge and Dundas, and that’s precisely the sort of thing Ford dislikes.

The city’s press release tries to sound a more hopeful note:

The pedestrian priority phase has been implemented in a number of other cities and has reduced conflict between pedestrians and vehicles by separating the flow of traffic and the movement of pedestrians.

If only reducing conflict between the latte sippers and gravy train stoppers were as easy.

(Image: Tsar Kasim)