More LPIs coming to Atlanta, thanks to research & advocacy

Great news! Advances are happening on the pedestrian front. 

The Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) says it will add more leading pedestrian intervals or “LPIs” to the city’s intersections. By the end of 2024, more than 220 traffic signals will receive this simple safety treatment, in addition to the 149 LPIs already in place. 

What is an LPI?

LPIs make our streets safer by giving people traveling by foot or wheelchair a head start crossing the street – simply by turning on the “walk” symbol before drivers get a green light. This brief but crucial lead time improves pedestrian visibility and safety, meaning fewer people get hit by cars.

Image Credit: NACTO, Urban Street Design Guide, 2013

Last year, Propel ATL named setting LPIs as the standard crossing signal in Atlanta as an advocacy goal. We were then fortunate to connect with Georgia Tech researcher Heather Mase, who researched how to prioritize Atlanta’s 800 intersections that lacked signal-based pedestrian safety improvements.

In the past decade, nearly half of all Atlanta’s reported vehicle collisions involving pedestrians occurred within 100 feet of a signalized intersection. One in ten resulted in serious injuries to pedestrians — or death. In real numbers, since 2013, at least 178 pedestrians have been seriously injured, and 40 have been killed in Atlanta’s intersections.

Thanks to Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) staff who prioritized the results of Heather's research, "Towards a Safer Atlanta," the Georgia Department of Transportation is currently reviewing the 25 intersections she identified, and installation is expected in the coming months.

Thanks to City Councilmember Amir Farokhi, who sponsored the recent resolution calling for LPI signalizations at every intersection where they’re possible in Atlanta, and to Propel ATL advocates and supporters who have helped advance this critical measure!