Comments on: LPI – Leading Pedestrian Interval http://www.streetfilms.org/lpi-leading-pedestrian-interval/ Documenting Livable Streets Worldwide Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:03:05 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: LevinN http://www.streetfilms.org/lpi-leading-pedestrian-interval/comment-page-1/#comment-17751 LevinN Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:00:23 +0000 http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/lpi-leading-pedestrian-interval/#comment-17751 I've heard that Denver, CO has a more extreme version of the "Leading Pedestrian Interval". The timing of some of the signal lights has 3 phases. In one phase, vehicles on one street have the right-of-way. In the second phase, vehicles on the other street have the right-of-way. In the third phase, pedestrians own the whole intersection, so they can cross either street, or both at once diagonally. Pedestrians don't just get a head start--they get a car-free intersection with enough time to cross completely in any direction. A few years ago, downtown Seattle WA would sometimes develop gridlock, when there were so many pedestrians in crosswalks that vehicles could never turn right or left, over many signal-light cycles. Eventually the car drivers would get impatient, and nudge their way through the fully occupied crosswalks. The Denver idea would solve this problem, I don't know whether or not Seattle has implemented it yet. I've heard that Denver, CO has a more extreme version of the "Leading Pedestrian Interval". The timing of some of the signal lights has 3 phases. In one phase, vehicles on one street have the right-of-way. In the second phase, vehicles on the other street have the right-of-way. In the third phase, pedestrians own the whole intersection, so they can cross either street, or both at once diagonally. Pedestrians don't just get a head start--they get a car-free intersection with enough time to cross completely in any direction.

A few years ago, downtown Seattle WA would sometimes develop gridlock, when there were so many pedestrians in crosswalks that vehicles could never turn right or left, over many signal-light cycles. Eventually the car drivers would get impatient, and nudge their way through the fully occupied crosswalks. The Denver idea would solve this problem, I don't know whether or not Seattle has implemented it yet.

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