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Crossing Seattle streets is getting safer

Have you ever felt that you're risking your life trying to cross a busy street?

KUOW listener Steve Hasegawa has. And as a driver, he gets anxious when trying to turn left or right at a crowded intersection. He wanted to know if the city has plans to create a traffic system that would benefit drivers and pedestrians.

Sound Qs producer Katherine Banwell met up with a spokesperson with Seattle's Department of Transportation to get the answer.

Shannon Hasegawa is Steve Hasegawa's daughter. She recently visited Tokyo, Japan and took this video of the Shibuya Crossing there. It's an example of an all-way crosswalk with the addition of road markers showing pedestrians that they can walk straight across the street or diagonally.

caption: A GIF of the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan, described as the world's busiest intersection.
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A GIF of the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan, described as the world's busiest intersection.
Courtesy of Shannon Hasegawa
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