HK's first diagonal crossing debuts in Sha Tin
Hong Kong's first diagonal crossing made its debut on Wednesday, allowing pedestrians to legally cross a busy intersection in Sha Tin in any direction for the first time. The Shibuya-style pedestrian scramble is located at the intersection of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street.  A university student surnamed Lo said the diagonal crossing would benefit elderly people because it would take them less time to cross.  “I think it's more effective for some people who can walk through this road. I think it saves about 10 or 20 seconds. Because in this area more elderly people live here, so it's more effective for them,” he said. With the new diagonal crossing, it takes most people about 20 seconds to cross the intersection. The pedestrian lights turn red after about 35 seconds, but some elderly people told RTHK that they still don't have enough time to cross the road.  A Sha Tin resident surnamed Choi said the new feature didn't make much of a difference because people had already been crossing the intersection diagonally in the past.  “There's no difference. This is because they have the habits [of crossing diagonally]. Before, we can see that except here, most of the diagonal lines like City One station, outside the hospital or some of the big places, you can see that many people cross along the diagonal side. So this is a good trial point that many people can do legally,” he said. A domestic helper Margilyn who looks after a 75-year old in a wheelchair said the initiative made it much easier for people with disabilities and their carers to cross the road. “Because usually, whenever we wait for the light to be in a red, we have to wait for a little longer and then if we are meeting for some people out there in some kind of restaurant or wherever, it's not too convenient. But for this pedestrian [crossing], I think for me it's better for them to put up more,” she said. Another pedestrian scramble in Tsim Sha Tsui, at the intersection of Granville Road and Carnarvon Road, is expected to be launched by the middle of the year.  Transport Secretary Lam Sai-hung had said the authorities would assess the effectiveness of the diagonal crossings after a few months and decide whether improvements were needed.