Pedestrian Scramble – Pensacola Beach Traffic Signals
• AKA – Exclusive Pedestrian Interval, Texas Scramble or Barnes Dance - A type of traffic signal movement that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time.
• Believed to be first implemented in Denver, CO in the 1940’s, designed by traffic engineer Henry Barnes (hence Barnes Dance)
• Deployed at various locations throughout the world with success, below are a few examples:
o Denver, CO o Miami, FL o Kansas City, KS o Boston, MA o Baltimore, MD o New York, NY o San Francisco, CA o Portland, OR o Nashville, TN o Las Vegas, NV o London, UK o Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Australia o Vancouver, Toronto, Ontario, Quebec City, Canada o Osaka, Tokyo, Japan (Hachiko Square in Shibuya is one of the largest in the world)
• Don’t recommend pedestrian scramble to be used outside of peak periods on the Island as the scramble does slightly reduce the vehicular phases, and allows for a longer pedestrian phase.
• Possible periods for scramble implementation:
o Weekends during the Summer Season o Spring Break o Evenings for Bands on the Beach th o 4 of July (if holiday doesn’t fall on weekend) o Large events (e.g. parades, festivals, etc.)
• Implementation of the scramble at these times would enable vehicle traffic to flow without being impeded by yielding to pedestrians.
• Pending upcoming deployment of the ATMS / Miovision upgrades that Staff plans to implement at the current signals, Staff is considering all possible technological options to improve traffic operations all the while being as fiscally responsible as budget allows
• Recommend deactivating scramble phase during “shoulder” season
Pedestrian Scramble – Pensacola Beach Traffic Signals
• Staff and DRMP (Regional Signalization Consultant) are currently evaluating internally, but do believe that a pedestrian scramble if implemented appropriately could be beneficial to the flow of traffic in the commercial core
• Could have scramble implemented for Spring Break 2018, if directed
• Obviously, neither this nor any other improvements will relieve the congestion that occurs on the heavy congestion days (e.g. Blue Angel’s Show). Staff recommends a strong event management plan be developed and deployed for those days.