These Austin intersection treatments are reducing pedestrian-involved crashes

Austin traffic engineers have treated hundreds of intersections this summer to improve pedestrian safety while crossing city roadways.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin traffic engineers have treated hundreds of intersections this summer to improve pedestrian safety while crossing city roadways.

The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department has installed more than 640 leading pedestrian intervals (LPI) crossings since the start of June — a marked 250% in the number of those treatments available in Austin. The LPI crossings give pedestrians a head start at getting into the crosswalk of an intersection before vehicles get the green light.

"This makes pedestrians more visible to turning drivers and improves safety for people who may be slower to start into the crosswalk," city officials said in Monday's Austin Mobility newsletter.

And giving pedestrians an early start has proven to be effective, according to national research. Research from U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration found LPIs reduce pedestrian-vehicle crashes at treated intersections by 13%.

LPIs aren't a new introduction in Austin. In late 2019, city crews began a concerted effort to install LPIs at downtown intersections. December 2021 data from Austin's Vision Zero program reported an additional 18% reduction in the number of pedestrian-vehicle crashes each year involving left-turning vehicles at treated intersections.

The newest LPI installations are "primarily being driven by recent signal software upgrades," officials said, which allow easier implementation and customization of LPIs at intersections across town. New traffic signals and pedestrian hybrid beacons being added to Austin also feature accessible pedestrian signals, which aid those who are blind, visibly impaired or have low vision to receive information on when it's safe to walk or not.

City crews are installing the LPIs using funding from the city's 2020 mobility bond, as well as dollars from the national Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program.