NPR has an article up about Diverging Diamonds.
While the Missouri Department of transportation talks about how this is great for vehicles, it is also great for pedestrians:
- all crossings can be signalled for long crossing times because pedestrians are walking with the main flow of traffic — so lots of time for moms with kids to get across.
- the center island can be double the normal width — the 2 sidewalks on the edge of the bridge are combined to one double width sidewalk.
- planter boxes or fencing on the perimeter of the center island can help reassure moms (and dads) that the 3-year old is not going to escape into traffic.
- NO worries about people turning into pedestrians – all traffic is going the same direction as pedestrians — except for the initial right turn on to the freeway.
- the right turn on to the freeway can easily be signaled and no right-turn on red allowed.
- the gray areas at the end of the bridge also provide nice big areas.
- Really, really easy to get across Missouri 13. It is now trivial to get do a diagonal crossing so that 44 and 13 are both crossed.
h/t to AdamHertz for pointing the NPR article out.