SINGAPORE, Nov. 11 -- Tokyo's famous Shibuya Crossing is coming to Joo Chiat - Singapore-style.

From November 16, pedestrians at the busy junction of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road will be able to cross diagonally while traffic stops in all directions, under a three-month trial aimed at improving road safety, Singapore-based media organisation CNA reported today.

But there is a catch: motorists and pedestrians could face longer waiting times, while a right turn from East Coast Road into Joo Chiat Road will be permanently banned.

The experiment is a rare one for Singapore, which currently has just one scramble crossing, near Lau Pa Sat at the junction of Robinson Road and Boon Tat Street.

Similar trials near Orchard Road in 2006 an...