The intersection at Cedar Hill Cross Road and Braefoot Road just got a little safer for pedestrians with the completion of new pedestrian head start traffic signals.

In early September, Saanich made some changes to the traffic signal pattern to improve safety and comfort for pedestrians. The new pattern includes a portion of time that is solely dedicated to pedestrians crossing Cedar Hill Cross Rd. This is known as a pedestrian head start and is a cost effective strategy that has been shown to improve pedestrian safety. It’s also the first one of it’s kind in the region!

By giving pedestrians a head to head into the crosswalk we improve their visibility to waiting drivers and in many cases allow them to finish their crossing before any conflicting cars are even permitted to proceed.

Pedestrian Head Starts are a recommendation from the Active Transportation Plan and will be installed at additional intersections throughout the District.

Image caption: pedestrian walk signal comes on before vehicle green signal