Politics & Government

Diagonal Crosswalks Now in Carlsbad Village

In August the City of Carlsbad Transportation Department reset the cycle on the traffic signal at Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive so pedestrians may cross in any direction, even diagonally, when the "walk" sign makes its appearance.

Pedestrians can now safely cross the intersection at Carlsbad Blvd. and Carlsbad Village Drive and make it to whatever corner they want to, rather than wait for two cycles of lights to get to the diagonal corner. 

“We saw how painful it was for pedestrians to negotiate that intersection,” Jones said. “It must have taken what seemed like four to five minutes,” City of Carlsbad Deputy Transportation Director Bryan Jones said

“We have thousands of pedestrians walking through that intersection every day, and this will make it a better experience for them, and for motorists too,” explained Jones. 

Find out what's happening in Carlsbadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That many pedestrians also had an impact on vehicle traffic. “It was hard for motorists to turn right on a green light, because a driver would have to wait for a group of people crossing in one direction, then wait for another group crossing from the other side,” Jones said. The result was that drivers wanting to make a right turn often had to wait for a red light to make that move. 

The new crosswalk system at that intersection is being called, "the Carlsbad Scramble." The City said it was named that since pedestrians can now safely scramble across in any direction while motorists wait and spectate.

Find out what's happening in Carlsbadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Motorists will not be able to turn right on red but now will be able to turn right on a green much more easily. The Carlsbad Scramble removes the conflicts between pedestrians and motorists at the busiest intersection in the Village. 

Bicyclists will have to obey vehicle rules if they're mounted and riding their bikes, but they can follow pedestrian rules if they walk their bikes. 

Many cities around the world have “scramble crosswalks,” including the City of San Diego, which has one at Fifth Avenue and Market Street in the Gaslamp Quarter. “I believe this is the first one of its kind in North County,” Jones said.

Information taken from a Press Release


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here