It’s called a “pedestrian scramble” – a crosswalk that stops all motorists at a four-way stop to allow pedestrians easily cross streets in all directions, including crossing diagonally.
And that’s what the city of Dunwoody’s Public Works Department recently installed at the intersection of North Shallowford Road and Dunwoody Park.
“We wanted to do something for trail users coming through … this is a better experience for trail users, especially for those on bikes — a way to enhance the trail experience,” said Public Works Director Michael Smith.
Cost for the Dunwoody pedestrian scramble was about $10,000, Smith said, including the decorative brick.
“It’s great from a trail users standpoint but they’re not always practical,” Smith said of the scramble. No other pedestrian scrambles are planned for Dunwoody at this time.
The first of its kind in Dunwoody, the pedestrian scramble crosswalk is also known as the Barnes Dance, named for traffic engineer Henry Barnes, who popularized this kind of crosswalk in the 1940s in Denver and New York.
There is only one other known pedestrian scramble in Georgia, at Courtland Street and Gilmer Street near Georgia State University, according to Creative Loafing. Another pedestrian scramble may be in the works as part of the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail at the DeKalb Avenue and Krog Street intersection at the Krog Street tunnel.
Here’s a video by Bike Walk Dunwoody showing the pedestrian scramble in action:
Nashville, Tenn., installed its first pedestrian scramble earlier this year at one of its busiest intersections where 15,000 vehicles travel through the area each day, according to a report by WKRN-TV.