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Pedestrian scramble gets Exchange test

‘We want to create a more walkable, livable city’

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/02/pedestrian-scrambl...

READY. Set. Scramble.

An Exchange District intersection was the scene of Winnipeg’s first pedestrian scramble as a pilot project to test the concept began Monday.

Traffic signals at the King Street and Bannatyne Avenue intersection stop motor vehicles in all directions once per cycle allowing pedestrians to cross in any direction, except diagonally.

Aro Van Dyck made the trek to the street corner to see the signals in action and try it for herself.

“An improvement like this, I’m excited to see it. I’m someone who cares a lot about pedestrian safety,” said Van Dyck, who works downtown.

The 32-year-old said she was disappointed when the city scuttled plans to put a scramble crossing at River Avenue and Osborne Street last year. She hopes the pilot project, which was approved in March, proves popular and scrambles become more common on city streets.

The scramble includes new no-right-turn and no-left-turn signs, cameras to record vehicle near-misses with pedestrians and loudspeakers that broadcast “walk sign is on at both crossings.”

The scramble is expected to reduce crossing times and improve safety for pedestrians with no vehicles in the intersection, said city worker Danae Penner, who was attaching signs to explain how the crossing works.

“If pedestrians want to go kitty corner to the other side of the street, they don’t have to wait for two signals. They can make it all the way around,” said the road safety outreach co-ordinator.

Coun. Vivian Santos said she hopes the crossing will drive more foot traffic to the area.

“We want to create a more walkable, livable city,” Santos said. “It’s about building a people-first city, especially in the Exchange District.”

Crossing diagonally wasn’t included in the plans for the new scramble, she said, because extensive work was necessary to make sidewalks more accessible for those with wheelchairs.

The scramble cost $1,000 to put in place, a March report from the public works committee noted.

Santos said the pilot will be in place until winter 2026.

David Pensato, executive director of Exchange District BIZ, is curious how the pilot project’s results will influence the city’s approach to pedestrian crosses. He said the chosen intersection has already been an informal scramble crossing when traffic dies down.

“It doesn’t take an urban planner or traffic engineer to note that while the Exchange is among the most walkable areas in the city, there’s certainly some pinch points where it becomes more complicated,” said Pensato. “We’re always looking to better enhance the pedestrian experience.”

Dennis Boyko, owner of Red River Book Shop, was surprised the city selected King and Bannatyne for the pilot.

The Arthur Street entrepreneur said there are more dangerous crossings that need more robust infrastructure to protect pedestrians in the Exchange.

To commemorate the new crossing, sandwich shop King and Bannatyne created a special scrambled egg wrap that will be given away at the corner at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The city has launched a survey for residents to provide feedback on the scramble at wfp.to/scramblehttp://wfp.to/scramble. A report on the pilot’s results is expected in 2026.

matthew.frank@freepress.mb.camailto:matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca