The streets of Santa Monica are getting a little bit safer for pedestrians!

Santa Monica has introduced a pedestrian action plan, a 15-year plan that strives to make the streets safer for pedestrians and eliminate serious injuries and fatalities all together.
Pedestrians, a photo by: Charlotte Gilhooly, Creative Commons.

Recently, Santa Monica has seen a rise in pedestrian injuries and fatalities.  From the beginning of March to April, five pedestrians were killed in Santa Monica from cars.  The city is taking the matter seriously and has recently introduced Pedestrian Scrambles.  12 Pedestrian Scrambles have been installed in Downtown Santa Monica.

Now, what exactly are Pedestrian Scrambles?  They are essentially crosswalks that cover the entire middle of an intersection and allow pedestrians to cross whichever way they please.  When the green walk sign is on you can go cut through the center of the street and go in any direction, including diagonally.

The scrambles come as a part Santa Monica’s pedestrian action plan, a 15-year plan that strives to make the streets safer for pedestrians and eliminate serious injuries and fatalities all together.

Additionally, the city created an instructional video to help citizens understand exactly how these Pedestrian Scrambles work.