'Pedestrian scramble' to be trialled in TST, Sha Tin
People will soon be allowed to cross two busy intersections in Hong Kong in any direction, including diagonally, under government plans to trial "pedestrian scrambles" in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin.  Pedestrians would be able to cross diagonally when traffic is completely stopped at the intersection of Granville Road and Carnarvon Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, while the other will be near Sha Tin Wai MTR station.   It is currently illegal to cross diagonally at pedestrian lights in Hong Kong.  The Transport Department said on Friday that the two intersections were suitable for the trials, adding that the installation of diagonal crossing facilities had been completed at the intersection of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin.  "The characteristics of each intersection must be carefully studied and taken into account when installing diagonal crossings... so as not to seriously affect the overall traffic flow," the department said.  Transport Commissioner Angela Lee said the administration hoped to start the trials in the first half of this year, adding that the authorities would gauge how both pedestrians and motorists feel about the new arrangement. Aruna Gurung, a Yau Tsim Mong district councillor, said that while the introduction of a scramble crossing is convenient for pedestrians, not all locations are suitable for such an arrangement.  "[It] depends on which exact area... The traffic might have to wait for a while, for 40 seconds, for all directions," she told RTHK.  She said the intersection of Jordan Road and Shanghai Street, for example, would be a possible location if the authorities extended the implementation of the pedestrian scramble. Gary Yau of the Road Research Society said pedestrians should be allowed to cross freely at the two intersections even in areas where there are no yellow striped markings.   "Pedestrians are supposed to only use the yellow-striped lines [to cross the road]. If there are 'X crossings' through the road, there will be some spaces that are not covered by the yellow-striped lines, which by law, is not an appropriate crossroad," he said.  "[The department] has to define the whole intersection is for pedestrian crossing."