LEADING PEDESTRIAN/ BICYCLE INTERVALS GOAL

To increase pedestrian safety by allowing them the ability to cross at an intersection and increase their presence before vehicles are given right of way to travel through or turn at a traffic light.

WHAT IS IT?

Leading pedestrian/bicycle intervals (LPI) help create pedestrian and bicyclist presence in an intersection anywhere from three to seven seconds before a traffic light turns green and gives vehicles the right of way. This allows for vehicles turning left to have increased awareness of those crossing while giving priority to pedestrians and bicyclists and increasing safety at intersection crossings. When bike lanes are present within a street, bike signal priority can also be implemented to prevent conflict with a turning vehicle and a bicyclist going straight through the intersection.

They should be used at intersections with a history of conflict. The pedestrians and turning volumes have to be high enough to warrant additional dedicated intervals for pedestrian crossing.

LPIs require adjustments to the existing signal timing making this a low-cost solution. It has also been recorded that they can reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions up to 60 percent at intersections that have adopted this strategy. This strategy can also work well paired with curb extensions to increase pedestrian visibility; especially at high-conflict intersections.

Potential Conflicts

A common reason a leading pedestrian interval might not be implemented is because of the idea that they will increase vehicle delay. There is a reduction of time allotted for vehicles to drive through which will delay and decrease the number of vehicles that can travel through a light cycle. Although LPIs are focused on pedestrian safety, congestion should also be accounted for in some instances. This could lead to unintended consequences such as aggressive driving and an increase in running red lights. Safety should be balanced for the intersection and all it’s users, not just a specific party.

Analysis of an intersection should be done prior to installation of an LPI.

Cost

Low-cost