INDIANAPOLIS — If you’re at a downtown intersection and you push a crosswalk button, you may notice the walk signal three to seven seconds before the light turns green in any direction.
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This is called a Leading Pedestrian Interval or LPI.
“Definitely gives it more time to get from one side of the street to the other side of the street," bicyclist Austin Lane said.
Lane delivers for DoorDash via Pacers Bikeshare. He says he was hit by a car while riding his bike near New York and Pennsylvania Streets last year.
“This part of my leg was shoved in between a bike and the grill of the hood," Lane said. “Nothing severely bad happened. Just my leg got crushed.”
Indianapolis Department of Public Works has been implementing LPIs for years — WRTV first reported about the effort in Irvington in 2022.
This past December, Indy DPW added LPIs between Pennsylvania and Delaware, roughly from Maryland to 10th Streets.
"This helps make pedestrians more visible, improving safety at intersections without decreasing green time for vehicles. These updates were made remotely using our new advanced traffic management system, Centracs, helping us improve safety without disrupting traffic flow," Indy DPW posted on social media. "LPIs are a proven way to reduce conflicts at intersections and make downtown streets safer and more comfortable for everyone walking, biking, or driving."
WRTV spoke with pedestrians downtown on Tuesday, asking them to weigh in on walking around downtown.
“I haven’t encountered many issues. I’m from a small town, so there’s not heavy traffic around. Certainly, whenever I’m in the city area, I’ve noticed this is one of the more safer areas," one pedestrian said.
“I am a foreigner. For me, Indianapolis looks very safe. From the point of view of coming from another country," another pedestrian added.
The Federal Highway Administration says there are many benefits to LPIs:
- Increased pedestrian visibility
- Reduced number of car vs person crashes
- Increased likelihood of motorists yielding to pedestrians
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
