Latest news with #ShibuyaCrossing
Ottawa Citizen
10-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Pellerin: Scrambling for safety — or how to make pedestrian crossings less dangerous
Article content A young woman lost her life earlier this week after being struck by the driver of a pickup truck downtown, near the corner of Laurier Avenue and Elgin Street. Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster commented, on BlueSky, that we need to make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists by implementing Vision Zero. Article content We should start with what are called 'pedestrian scrambles.' Article content Article content Article content Vision Zero is a set of principles designed to make roads safer for everyone. One of those principles is using 'exclusive pedestrian intervals' at busy intersections. Article content These are intersections where there is one light cycle during which all vehicular traffic stops, in all directions, and pedestrians get to cross in all directions, including diagonally. It works on regular four-way intersections or on more complex ones, too. The most famous scramble in the world is the Shibuya Crossing at Hachikō Square in Tokyo — and it's worth the google. Article content Those were already on my mind this week because of a town in Alabama — no, not my beloved Huntsville, a smaller town called Auburn — that implemented a pedestrian scramble at an intersection known as 'Toomer's Corner' near Auburn University campus. When a little college town in Alabama is ahead of the capital city of a G7 country on basic road safety, you know you have an issue. Article content Article content I don't know the details of the events that led to the death of this young woman in Ottawa. I'm not suggesting a pedestrian scramble would necessarily have made a difference in her case. I'm speaking generally about the critical need to minimize conflicts between road users so that when mistakes happen, they're not deadly. That is the basic principle behind Vision Zero. We all make mistakes. People shouldn't die because of them. Article content Some of the items in the Vision Zero toolbox require redesigns of roads but some don't. There are two very simple ideas we can do immediately to reduce conflicts significantly. One is to prevent right turns on red lights anywhere near people; the second is pedestrian scrambles. Article content Article content I grew up in Quebec City and pedestrian scrambles are very common there, especially in areas with lots of slightly confused bipeds, such as the parts of the city that are full of tourists. I am used to crossing diagonally. It makes a lot of sense to do that and often saves a bunch of time and it dramatically increases feelings of safety. The first time I took my kids to Old Quebec, we twirled and giggled as we crossed intersections diagonally just for fun.
Japan Times
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Tokyo Series gives diehard American baseball fans the ideal gateway into Japan
With Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs returning home for MLB's Tokyo Series, they brought in tow with them more than just their fellow teammates. They also brought legions of diehard fans, many of whom had never experienced Japan before and have been mesmerized by the food and cultural experiences on offer. Fernando Brado lives in LA and goes to about 15-30 games a year at Dodger Stadium. He explained he was already coming to Japan for a personal trip, but when it was announced the Dodgers would be playing he planned the rest of his itinerary around it. 'I'm still looking forward to Shibuya Crossing and Mario Kart,' he said, but after visiting Osaka he declared his favorite foods so far were crab sushi and Kobe beef, with an honorable mention perhaps going to the wagyu pizza he had in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward. Dodgers fan Fernando Brado (left) lives in LA and planned much of his itinerary in Japan around the Tokyo Series. | Joshua Mellin Similarly, Caroline Dobbe had never been to Japan before, but she came specifically for the Cubs. Although her favorite experience in Japan was visiting a shrine, it did not translate into good luck for her favorite player, Nico Hoerner, who sat out the opening game, or his replacement, veteran Jon Berti, who made a critical throwing error that allowed the Dodgers to score. Still, she was hopeful for the rest of her trip, including the chance to see the country's famous cherry blossoms later in the month. Along with her mom, Dobbe says she makes a habit of traveling to other cities to see the Cubs play. 'Last year was in Boston and New York, and now Tokyo is just another step.' Also in the Cubs camp are Robert and Courtney Hutchinson, who are from Atlanta but spend summers in Chicago. After this first trip to Japan they declared 'Tokyo is our spring house now!' and said the trip has been a 'once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, getting to see the guys play at home, especially since we're big Shota fans.' It was also Cubs fan Jack Rosen's first time in Japan. A season ticket holder, he came specifically for the games but also visited Kyoto, Osaka and Nara and had a 'wonderful' time at the latter's famed park full of deer. Cubs fan Jack Rosen (right) and friends. Rosen ventured far beyond the capital during his stay in Japan, with a visit to Nara's famous deer park being a highlight of his trip. | Joshua Mellin He, along with some other season ticket holder friends, said they were most looking forward to what they hoped would be 'a Cubs win.' But comparing Tokyo Dome to Wrigley was a challenge. 'Wrigley is so old school and this is so modern. Just more modern, but the food is probably better here.' Matt Fuller and his 6-year-old son Isaiah may have had one of the most serendipitous fan encounters of the series. Matt, who visits Japan regularly for business, was at a favorite restaurant, Andy's Shin Hinomoto in the capital's Chiyoda Ward, along with Isaiah, a big fan of Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is known by his initials PCA. After dinner, the restaurant manager called them and told them PCA was there and wanted to meet. They rushed back and got to spend an extended amount of quality time with the Cubs budding star, who signed Isiah's prized jersey. Asked who is faster, Isiah gave the speedy outfielder the benefit of the doubt and declared their speed was 'about the same.'
