Scrambled Crossings

Exclusive Pedestrian Phase or Scrambled Crosswalks

At an intersection with an exclusive pedestrian phase – also known as scrambled crosswalk or Barnes Dance crossings, vehicular traffic stops in all directions providing pedestrians the opportunity to cross in any direction. However, conventional APS signaling can create ambiguity about when it is safe to begin a crossing, especially if a pedestrian with sight loss is unaware that the intersection they are approaching is one with an exclusive pedestrian phase. Scrambled crosswalks are becoming increasingly more common but research as to best practices on making these structures accessible to pedestrians with sight loss is limited.

The CNIB Foundation recommends that an audible message
‘the walk light is on for all crossings’
replace the conventional audible safe to cross sound.