Across San Francisco and a growing list of surrounding communities, the urban intersection is undergoing a deliberate transformation. The pedestrian scramble—a traffic signal configuration that halts all motor vehicles simultaneously to allow pedestrians to walk in every direction, including diagonally—has emerged as a defining feature of modern street design in the Bay Area and beyond.
At busy hubs like the corner of Montgomery and Bush streets in San Francisco’s Financial District, the concept comes to life along what urban planners call the "desired path." Instead of navigating two separate crosswalks to travel diagonally from the northeast corner near Red Bay Coffee to the southwest corner near Peet's, people on foot can simply chart a direct bee-line across the center of the asphalt the moment the walk phase begins.
The core operation of a pedestrian scramble relies on synchronized red signals displayed to all approaching vehicular traffic. This includes strict prohibitions on turning movements while the pedestrian interval is active. By temporarily removing cars from the equation entirely, the intersection offers complete right-of-way to people on foot, drastically altering the rhythm and safety dynamics of congested corridors.
Within San Francisco, the municipal transit network currently features 31 of these specialized intersections, with 24 equipped with dedicated diagonal walk signals. Concentrated primarily in high-density neighborhoods such as the Financial District, Chinatown, SoMa, and the Tenderloin, the installations have become daily thoroughfares at locations including Stockton and Washington streets, as well as Clay Street's intersections with Grant Avenue and Kearny Street.
The concept boasts deep roots in the city's infrastructure history. San Francisco first introduced scrambles along Montgomery Street at Bush, Pine, and California streets back in 1954. Local lore attributes the initial rollout to the influence of Denver traffic engineer Henry Barnes, who had adapted early-twentieth-century designs previously seen in Kansas City and Vancouver. Today, the configuration is still widely recognized across the country by its historic moniker, the "Barnes Dance."
Over the decades, the design grew into one of the region’s signature urban hallmarks, joining the ranks of local staples like the gourmet food truck, the Mission burrito, and the Grateful Dead before earning wider appreciation. As urban areas reassess how public space is allocated, the scramble has gained momentum as a tool to elevate the safety and convenience of foot travel.
According to regional transit advocates, this resurgence reflects a fundamental evolution in municipal priorities. Rebecca Saltzman, an El Cerrito city councilmember and co-executive director of Bike East Bay, noted that while cities historically spent decades catering almost exclusively to automobile drivers, policymakers are now purposefully refocusing their infrastructure to prioritize people on foot.
That priority shift is increasingly evident in nearby East Bay and Peninsula cities. In Oakland, Chinatown already features four operational scrambles, while local transportation personnel have actively engaged the community at neighborhood farmer's markets to share plans for two additional locations. Meanwhile, street safety advocates are actively pushing to implement similar treatments along major thoroughfares such as San Pablo Avenue.
Further south, municipal leaders in San Mateo introduced three scrambles along B Street, leveraging modern social media channels to showcase the ease of diagonal crossings. Online videos highlighting residents striding diagonally through intersections have helped turn straightforward street design adjustments into engaging demonstrations of progressive urban planning.
However, transportation officials emphasize that scrambles are not a universal remedy for every congested corner. Ricardo Olea, city traffic engineer at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, warned that successful implementation requires an exact balance of pedestrian volume and street geometry. Without the proper conditions, Olea cautioned that the adjustments can create severe vehicular bottlenecks, prompting swift backlash and complaints from local residents on neighborhood forums like NextDoor.
National planning leaders also view the installations as powerful symbolic statements for distinctive urban spaces. Stephanie Seskin, director of policy, practice, and design at the National Association of City Transportation Officials, explained that scrambles provide an opportunity to highlight and celebrate specific intersections that carry cultural or civic significance, noting that the design tends to experience periodic waves of high visibility.
The model has steadily expanded well beyond the Bay Area, finding homes in major metropolitan centers such as New York City and Washington, D.C. In Toronto, the all-pedestrian signal phase famously allowed crowds of Blue Jays baseball fans to flood the major intersection at Yonge and Dundas streets to celebrate a landmark playoff victory in 2015.
The treatment is also migrating outside dense downtown cores into suburban environments and commercial developments. In Pasadena, transportation officials incorporated a scramble near the Paseo outdoor shopping center, utilizing decorative brick pavers to outline the diagonal crossing paths through the intersection.
For the pedestrians, commuters, and micro-mobility riders who use them daily, the experience offers a striking shift in power dynamics. Commuters navigating intersections like Montgomery and Bush on foot or electric scooters often describe the rare sensation of commanding the entire roadway, turning what was once a rigid, vehicle-dominated junction into a vibrant, people-centered public space.
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