First diagonal pedestrian crossing launches in Sha Tin

Pedestrians in Sha Tin can now cross the junction of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street diagonally, as the government started a pilot scheme of diagonal crossing on Wednesday.

The concerned pedestrian crossing is marked with diagonal yellow stripes and retrofitted with traffic signals so that pedestrians can walk directly to a diagonal corner via the center of the junction, thus reducing the walking distance and saving time.

At around 8 am this morning, many pedestrians were seen crossing the road diagonally, with police officers on standby to monitor pedestrian flow.

A resident surnamed Ng welcomed the implementation of the diagonal crossing. "We don't have to wait for so many traffic lights, one after another.

"It is much more convenient, especially for the elderly, to cross the road diagonally," a pedestrian surnamed Wong stated.

The Transport and Logistics Bureau noted that diagonal street crossings can shorten the distance and time for pedestrians, as the authorities have been keeping tabs on the development of pedestrian crossings around the world.

The government also planned to implement diagonal crossings at Carnarvon Road and Granville Road intersection in Tsim Sha Tsui in mid-2024.

Authorities will monitor and assess the usage of these two junctions by pedestrians and motorists to review the performance of the diagonal crossings and then consider the future direction.