First pedestrian scramble intersection hits the streets of Winnipeg

King and Bannatyne is the home to Winnipeg’s first ever scramble intersection.

A scramble intersection is where traffic stops and people take the spotlight. It’s a new way to cross, and the city’s watching to see if it sticks.

Winnipeg’s first-ever pedestrian scramble is officially in motion. The intersection pilot project halts all vehicle traffic once per signal cycle, allowing pedestrians to cross in every direction, though diagonal crossings aren’t permitted just yet.

“We allow pedestrians to cross whichever way they want, you see the pedestrian light go on at the exact same time, and that’s called the scramble phase,” explained Amanda Pushka, the road safety management engineer for the City of Winnipeg.

The city says the goal is to study whether this type of crossing setup makes sense for local streets, and whether or not scrambles are better suited for smaller intersections with lots of foot traffic, limited vehicle flow, and nearby destinations.

“If we have a lot of pedestrians moving when vehicles are held back, there’s no conflicts happen between turning vehicles and pedestrians, so if we push people through the scramble phase it, it does improve safety for pedestrians,” said Pushka.

The initial setup costs the city just $1,000 and doesn’t include major infrastructure changes. If the pilot proves successful, more permanent upgrades, like accessible curb ramps and diagonal crosswalk signals, could be on the way.

“In the future, we are looking in the long term to add accessibility considerations to enable that diagonal crossing,” said Pushka.

The pilot will run until the winter of 2026, with a city survey already underway to collect public feedback.