The Downtown Eastside Pedestrian Safety Project is now concluded and our final report is available online. Right click on the links below to download pdf versions.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/06/pdficon_large2.gif "pdficon_large"){kind=small}
“We’re All Pedestrians” – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (PDF 1.27 MB)
“We’re All Pedestrian” – FINAL REPORT (PDF 5.43 MB)
“We’re All Pedestrians” – APPENDICES (PDF 3.59 MB)
Alternatively, you can read the report online by following the links below:
“We’re All Pedestrians” EXECUTIVE SUMMARY”
“We’re All Pedestrians” Part 1
“We’re All Pedestrians” Part 2
“We’re All Pedestrians” Part 3
Scramble from Sam Javanrouh on Vimeo.
At our pedestrian safety workshops, we go through a list of possible engineering safety measures that could make the Downtown Eastside more pedestrian friendly. One that always piques the interest of workshop participants is the Pedestrian Scramble, also known as a Barnes Dance after Henry A. Barnes, an influential American pioneer in traffic engineering.
A Pedestrian Scramble means that there is an extra signal phase at intersections during which all vehicles are stopped and pedestrians can cross any which they choose, including diagonally. By having an exclusive phase for pedestrians, the potential for collisions drops dramatically. It’s also more convenient for pedestrians because being able to cross the street diagonally means they only have to make one crossing instead of two.
While working in Denver, Colorado, Barnes implemented the Pedestrian Scramble, which was also adopted in other cities. In his autobiography, he writes that while he popularized the concept, it was already being used in Kansas City and Vancouver. Looking through archival photos, it appears that Hastings and Granville and Georgia and Granville had pedestrian scrambles in the 1940s and 1950s.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Hastings-at-Granville-1952-CVA-772_15.jpg "Hastings at Granville 1952 CVA 772_15")
Hastings at Granville, 1952. City of Vancouver Archives #772-15
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Hastings-at-Granville_1940s_CVA-1184_1811.jpg "Hastings at Granville_1940s_CVA 1184_1811")
Hastings at Granville in the 1940s. City of Vancouver Archives #1184-1811
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Georgia-and-Granville-17-May-1956-VPL-43364.jpg "Georgia and Granville 17 May 1956 VPL 43364")
Georgia and Granville streets, 1956. VPL #43364
Pedestrian scrambles were scrapped in Vancouver and elsewhere, but have been making a come back. Toronto recently installed them at Yonge and Bloor and Yonge and Dundas. The busiest one is probably this one in Shibuya, Japan.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PedScramble-in-Shibuya-Japan.jpg "PedScramble in Shibuya Japan")
Pedestrian Scramble in Shibuya Japan.
VANDU volunteers were out in the community on a daily basis for about four months doing surveys, handing out leaflets, conducting Burma Shaves, postering, giving workshops, and collecting traffic data. Occasionally we went to other neighbourhoods to collect data with which we could compare the situation in the Downtown Eastside.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/AngieLyndenSurvey.jpg "AngieLyndenSurvey")
Angie and Lynden surveying pedestrians on West Hastings Street.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Eric-leafletting.jpg "Eric leafletting")
Eric leafleting on Hastings Street.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Workshop_PaulB.jpg "Workshop_PaulB")
Paul presenting at a workshop at LifeSkills Centre.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/RadarGun_lynden.jpg "RadarGun_lynden")
Lynden capturing vehicle speeds with a radar gun on Hastings Street.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Louise-and-Lorna-leafletting-on-Davie.jpg "Louise and Lorna leafletting on Davie")
Louise and Lorna leafleting on Davie Street.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Angie-on-Davie.jpg "Angie on Davie")
Angie counting pedestrians on Davie.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Workshop_Richard.jpg "Workshop_Richard")
Richard presenting at a workshop at LifeSkills Centre.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Ron-leafletting-on-Davie.jpg "Ron leafletting on Davie")
Ron leafleting on Davie Street.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Jan-6.jpg "Jan 6")
Counting infractions on Hastings and Gore.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Jan6.jpg "Jan6")
Data collection crew heading to one of the pedestrian injury "hotspots" to count infractions and pedestrian and vehicle volumes.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/DSCN0088.jpg "DSCN0088")
Don and the crew going through the game plan at the beginning of a data collection shift.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/KidsPlaying.jpg "KidsPlaying")
Coming back from one of our field trips, we came across this homemade sign at Union and Gore, one of several throughout the Downtown Eastside.
The concept of a ”Burma Shave” comes from an American shaving cream company that posted advertising messages targeting motorists across a series of roadside billboards. The DTES Pedestrian Safety Project borrowed the idea to encourage motorists to drive more carefully along Hastings Street. Click on the images to enlarge.
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/SignMaking.jpg "SignMaking")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/DriveCarefully_KenB.jpg "DriveCarefully_KenB")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/SpeedKills_RichardC.jpg "SpeedKills_RichardC")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/HittingAPedCanRuinYourWholeDay.jpg "HittingAPedCanRuinYourWholeDay")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/HelpUsStayAliveDrive35_2.jpg "HelpUsStayAliveDrive35_2")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PeopleAreNotTargetsThankYouForSlowingDown.jpg "PeopleAreNotTargetsThankYouForSlowingDown")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PplAreNotTargetsThanksForSlowingDown.jpg "PplAreNotTargetsThanksForSlowingDown")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/SpeedKills.jpg "SpeedKills")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/DriveCarefully.jpg "DriveCarefully")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife.jpg "PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/BurmaShavin.jpg "BurmaShavin")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/HelpUsStayAliveDrive35.jpg "HelpUsStayAliveDrive35")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/Hitting-a-ped-can-ruin-your-whole-day.jpg "Hitting a ped can ruin your whole day")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/HighPedInjuryZone.jpg "HighPedInjuryZone")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/APedIsStruckEvery8DaysInOurCommunity.jpg "APedIsStruckEvery8DaysInOurCommunity")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife2.jpg "PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife2")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/HelpUsStayAlive.jpg "HelpUsStayAlive")
![](http://pedestriansafety.vandu.org/blog/"wp-content/uploads//2010/04/PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife-2.jpg "PleaseTakeAnExtraMinuteItMaySaveALife 2")
Average number of pedestrians injured every 8 days in the Downtown Eastside: 1
Number of pedestrians hit by cars in the DTES from 2000 to the end of 2005: 280
Percentage of pedestrian injuries in Vancouver that occur in the DTES: 10
Number of Vancouver’s 32 worst pedestrian injury hotspots that are in the Downtown Eastside: 9
Percentage of Vancouverites that have a car, truck, or van as their primary mode of transportation: 67
Percentage of Downtown Eastsiders that have a car, truck, or van as their primary mode of transportation: 15
Average cost of hospitalizing an injured pedestrian in Vancouver: $15,747.06
Average social cost of a pedestrian-involved collision estimated in a 2004 Ontario study: $412,000
Number of pedestrians killed by motor vehicles in Vancouver in 2007: 13
Number of those who were over the age of 65: 5
Percentage of Vancouverites over the age of 65: 13.1
Percentage of Downtown Eastside residents over the age of 65: 24
Welcome to the Downtown Eastside Pedestrian Safety Project blog. In the coming weeks we’ll be posting information about the project and the issue of pedestrian safety in Vancouver’s own Downtown Eastside. The project is focused on data collection, community outreach, and education.
The project began as a response to the high number of pedestrian injuries along East Hastings in the Downtown Eastside. It is a pilot project aiming to shed light on the issue and to recommend long-term solutions that will make the community safer. The Downtown Eastside Pedestrian Safety Project is a project of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) with funding from the City of Vancouver’s Great Beginnings Program. Over eighty volunteers from the community have particpated in the data collections phase, and we are now beginning community outreach.
